
Class JEaH 
Book ...t4* 



CONTRIBUTIONS FROM 

THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

HEYE FOUNDATION 

Volume II, Number i 



EXPLORATION OF 

A MUNSEE CEMETERY NEAR 

MONTAGUE, NEW JERSEY 



BY 

GEORGE G. HEYE 

AND 

GEORGE H. PEPPER 



NEW YORK 

THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

HEYE FOUNDATION 

10 East Thirty-third Street 

1915 






I 



hf\ 






EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 
NEAR MONTAGUE, NEW JERSEY 

BY 

GEORGE G. HEYE and GEORGE H. PEPPER 

Contents 

PAGE 

Introduction 2 

Historical Data 4 

Previous Archeological Work in the Vicinity 12 

Situation of the Minisink Cemetery 15 

Previous Work in the Cemetery 17 

Investigations by the Museum of the American Indian 18 

The Burials 18 

Objects Associated with the Burials 30 

Shell Ornaments 30 

Discs 30 

Gorget 35 

Triangular Pendants 36 

Bird Figures 37 

Fish Figures 40 

Other Animal Forms 42 

Beads 43 

Stone Implements and Ornaments 44 

Objects of Bone, Antler, and Tiirtleshell 46 

Aboriginal Pipes 47 

Pottery Vessels 48 

Pigments 48 

Objects of European Origin 49 

Trade Beads 49 

Pewter Pipes 50 

Other Metal Objects 54 

Clay Pipes 55 

Textiles 57 

Urn Burials 58 

Feast-pits 58 

Dog Burials 59 

Objects not Associated with Burials 60 

Pottery 60 

Earthenware of Algonquian Type 62 

Earthenware of Iroquois Type 64 

I 



CONTRIBUTIONS F 



Nova Bxlgi 




THE VAN DER DONCK MAP, 1656 



2 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

Objects not Associated with Burials. — Continued 

Earthenware Showing Algonquian and Iroquois Technique Combined. . 67 

Pits Containing Jars 67 

Objects of Stone 70 

Objects of Shell 73 

Objects of Bone and Antler 73 

Pipes 74 

Objects of Metal 75 

Other Materials Found 76 

Conclusions ! 76 

Introduction 

ON the banks of the Delaware river between Port Jervis, New 
York, and the Delaware Water Gap, there are many 
village sites and a few burial places. For years it has been 
known that this section offered a rich field for archeological study, 
but prior to the explorations herein described it remained practically 
neglected. The shores of the river, both in New Jersey and in 
Pennsylvania, afford broad reaches of arable land, and along this 
stretch of the stream are several flat islands. The New Jersey side 
especially furnished suitable level places for camps and for farming, 
and on these numerous evidences of aboriginal habitation are found. 

Dr Edward S. Dalrymple, of Branchville, New Jersey, had 
done some work on this site twelve or fifteen years before, and 
after his death a collection made by him had come into the pos- 
session of the Museum of the American Indian. 

In 1 91 3 the writers made a reconnoissance of the Delaware 
valley between Dingman's Ferry and Port Jervis. The most 
promising site for archeological excavation was found on the farm 
of Burson W. Bell, Esq., near the town of Montague, in Sandyston 
township, Sussex county. New Jersey. The results of the explora- 
tion of this burial place form the report herein presented. 

The work of the Museum of the American Indian was com- 
menced at the close of April, 191 4, and was continued until early in 
July, when, during the writer's absence, the arrest of his men, on the 
charge of violating a statute prohibiting the disturbance of human 
burials, was caused by a local politician who believed that by 
keeping strangers out of his district he would gain the favor of his 
constituents. 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 3 

The judicial history of the case, which will be of interest to 
future investigators of American archeology, is as follows : 

On July 2d, 1914, one John Van Sickle went before Justice of the 
Peace John E. Whitney of Newton, New Jersey, and made a complaint 
against George G. Heye that he "did remove the remains of deceased 
persons to deponent unknown from their graves and places of sepulture 
in the old Minisink Graveyard in said township (Sandyston) from mere 
wantonness," and thereupon a warrant was issued for Mr. Heye's arrest. 
Mr. Heye hearing that a warrant was out for his arrest, by an arrange- 
ment with the District Attorney of Sussex County, attended at Newton 
with his counsel on July 20th, 1914, submitted to arrest, waived indict- 
ment and had a trial on that date before the Sussex County Court of 
Special Sessions, and upon said trial was convicted and sentenced to 
pay a fine of ^100. 

Mr. Heye carried his conviction on a Writ of Error to the Supreme 
Court of New Jersey and the case came up on appeal before the November 
term of said court, which reversed the conviction in an opinion a copy of 
which is annexed hereto. 

New Jersey Supreme Court. 

Nov. Term, 1914. 
The State, 

vs. 

George G. Heye, 

Error to the Sussex Special Sessions Court. 

Argued before Gummere, Chief Justice, and Justices Garrison and Minfurn. 

For the plaintiff in error, Robert S. Hudspeth. 

For the State, William A. Dolan, Prosecutor of the Pleas Per Curiam: 

The defendant was tried and convicted under the 148th section of the Crimes 
Act, which makes it a high misdemeanor for any one to remove a body of any 
deceased person from his grave or tomb for the purpose of dissection, or for the 
purpose of selling the same, or from mere wantonness. 

The facts show that the plaintiff in error was an anthropologist, who, while 
looking for Indian relics in Sandyston township, Sussex County, came across a 
burial place used by the Indians who inhabited that part of the state two or more 
centuries ago; that he removed two or three of the skeletons which he found 
there for the collection of the New York Anthropological Society; about the 
same number for the Museum of the University of Pennsylvania; and several 
more for the United States Government at Washington. He did this with the 
consent of the owner of the land upon which these remains were found. On these 
facts he was convicted. 

It may be that in what plaintiff in error did he violated the laws of decency 



4 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

and morality, but it does not seem to us that he brought himself within the 
purview of the 148th section of the Crimes Act. 

He certainly did not remove these skeletons for the purpose of dissection; 
nor was it shown that he did it for the purpose of making sale of them. His 
conviction was rested upon the theory that his act was one of mere wantonness. 
We do not think this conclusion sound. He took them for a specific purpose; 
and a thing done for a specific purpose, whether that purpose be one which the 
public generally will approve or disapprove, cannot be said to have been done in 
mere wantonness. 

We conclude the judgment under review should be reversed. 

The writer wishes to acknowledge the generous cooperation and 
interest taken in this work by Mr Burson W. Bell, the owner of 
the property on which the cemetery was situated, and to Mr 
Randall D. Sayre, of Milford, Pike county, Pennsylvania, who 
added greatly to the collection by the gift of a fine jar found by 
him on Minisink island directly opposite the cemetery. 

G. G. H. 

HISTORICAL DATA 

As the part of Sussex county under consideration was probably 
richer in natural resources than any similar area in the State of 
New Jersey, from the earliest days it has furnished material for 
historical accounts, and the archives of the state are replete with 
documents which record the troubles between the native tribes 
and, at a later period, the inroads of white settlers. The region 
which particularly concerns us here comprises the townships of 
Sandyston and Montague in the northwestern corner of Sussex 
county (fig. i). James P. Snell, in his History of Sussex and Warren 
Counties, pp. 361-362, published in 1881, says: 

The Minisink patent, of historic memory, embraced the valuable 
lands of Montague, lying along the banks of the Delaware, and their 
fertility and natural advantages early attracted to this favored locality 
the Dutch settlers from Esopus. The township was thus made memorable 
soil before the white man had cleared the forests in other portions of the 
county. From the easy fords at the Minisink, Indian trails diverged, 
— west to the Wyoming Valley, along the Susquehanna River; north, by 
short cut across the peninsula of Pike County, to the mouth of the Lacka- 
waxen, on the Delaware; south, through Culver's Gap, to the ponds and 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 5 

hunting-grounds of the Kittatinny valley; and northeast, via the Dela- 
ware, to the Machackemack River and corresponding valleys. 

The most valuable portion of the famous "Minisink patent" lay within 
the boundaries of Montague. It embraced that fertile tract of land 
extending from the mouth of the " Machackemack' ' at Carpenter's Point, 




Fig. I. — Map showing the location of the Minisink cemetery. 

down the left bank of the Delaware River to the lower point of "Great 
Minisink Island." This patent covered the two largest and most fertile 
islands of the Delaware River, with the adjoining flats along the Jersey 
shore, — Mashipacong Island, lying between Carpenter's Point and the 
Brick House, and Minisink Island, lying below the Brick House. These 



O MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

two islands alone contain looo acres of cultivated land, and, together 
with the shore flats and grazing-lands between the extremes named, more 
than 10,000 acres of the quality of land so highly prized by the Low-Dutch 
settlers was included in the Minisink patent. The settlement first 
made was located opposite the lower end of the Island (which gave 
name to the patent referred to), upon the higher portion of Minisink 
flats, just at the foot of the ridge on the south running parallel with the 
river. This settlement took the name of Minisink. A small grist-mill 
was erected upon the stream which here discharges its waters into the 
Bena Kill, between the residences of Daniel D. Everitt and Jacob 
Westbrook, Esq., the former residence being within the township of 
Montague and the latter in that of Sandyston, as this stream here forms 
the boundary line between these townships for a short distance from the 
river. Johannes Westbrook settled upon one side of this small stream of 
water, and Daniel Westfall (said to have been his son-in-law) upon the 
opposite bank, where Mr. Everitt now resides. The Westbrook family 
was early represented by three brothers, who located at Minisink soon 
after 1700. 

The precise period at which the Dutch and Huguenot settlers entered 
the Minisink valley is uncertain. We have positive documentary evi- 
dence that there was a considerable colony of settlers at the Neversink 
and in the Minisink valley, including both of the Minisink Islands, prior 
to the beginning of the eighteenth century. A voting precinct, with a 
municipal organization, was laid off there before this date, which implies 
a considerable number of voters; and by an act of the Provincial Assembly 
of New York, passed Oct. 18, 1701, " for the more Regular proceedings in 
the Election of Representatives," the "inhabitants of Wagachemick 
(Neversink) and Great and Little Minisink (Islands)" were "empowered 
to give their votes in the County of Ulster." The evidence clearly 
substantiates the fact that there were many settlers in the Jersey 
Minisink previous to 1700. 

The Indians which occupied this area were the Munsee, with 
possibly a few Unami, both divisions of the Delawares. According 
to the Handbook of American Indians^ — 

The Munsee [whose name, according to Hewitt, is derived from 
Min-asin-ink, ' at the place where stones are gathered '] originally occupied 
the headwaters of Delaware river in New York, New Jersey, and Penn- 
sylvania, extending south to Lehigh river, and also held the west bank 

1 Bulletin 30, Bureau of American Ethnology, pt. i, Washington, 1907. 



. HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY "J 

of the Hudson from the Catskill mountains nearly to the New Jersey 
line. They had the Mahican and Wappinger on the north and east, 
and the Delawares on the south and southeast, and were regarded as the 
protecting barrier between the latter tribe and the Iroquois. 

Their council village was Minisink, probably in Sussex county. 
New Jersey. . . • The Minisink formed the principal division of the 
Munsee, and the two names have often been confounded. . . . By a 
fraudulent treaty, known as the 'Walking Purchase,' the main body of 
the Munsee was forced to remove from the Delaware about the year 1740, 
and settled at Wyalusing on the Susquehanna on lands assigned them by 
the Iroquois. Soon after this they removed to Alleghany river, Penn- 
sylvania, where some of them had settled as early as 1724. 

About 1720 the Iroquois assumed dominion over them, forbidding 
them to make war or sales of lands, a condition which lasted until about 
the opening of the French and Indian war. Many of them had originally 
removed from the west bank of Delaware river to escape the inroads of 
the Conestoga. 

E. M. Ruttenber,^ writing of the Minisink, says: 

West of the Esopus country, and inhabiting the Delaware and its 
tributaries, were the Minsis proper of whom a clan more generally 
known as the Minnisinks held the south-western parts of the present 
counties of Orange and Ulster, and north-western New Jersey. Van der 
Donck describes their district as " Minnessinck of 'tLandt van Bacham," 
and gives them three villages: Schepinaikonck, Meochkonck, and 
Macharienkonck,^ the latter in the bend of the Delaware opposite Port 
Jervis, and preserved perhaps in the name Mahackemeck. On Sauthier's 
map, Minnisink, the capital of the clan, is located some ten miles south 
of Mahackemeck, in New Jersey. Very little is known of the history of 
the clan as distinguished from the tribe of which they were part, although 
the authorities of New York had communication with them, and the 
missionary, Brainerd, visited them. Tradition gives to them the honor 
of holding the capital of the tribe in years anterior to the advent of the 
Europeans. 

In a later work^ Ruttenber describes the town and the tribe as 
follows: 



' History of the Indian Tribes of Hudson's River, Albany, 1872, p. 96. 

2 On the original map of Van der Donck (see our pi. i) these names are spelled 
Meoechkonk, Mecharienkonck, and t'Schepinaikonck, respectively. 

' Footprints of the Red Men. Indian Geographical Names in the Valley of the Hudson 
River, 1906, pp. 220-222. 



8 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

Minisink, now so written and preserved as the name of a town in 
Orange County, appears, primarily, in 1656, on Van der Donck's map, 
" Minnessinck ofte t'Landt van Bacham ", which may be read, construc- 
tively, " Indians inhabiting the back or upper lands," or the highlands. 
Heckewelder wrote: "The Mmsi, which we have corrupted to Monsey, 
extended their settlements from the Minisink, a place named after them, 
where they had their council seat and fire," and Reichel added, "The 
Minisinks, i. e., the habitation of the Monseys or Minsis." The appli- 
cation was both general and specific to the district of country occupied 
by the Minsi tribe and to the place where its council fire was held. The 
former embraced the mountainous country of the Delaware River above 
the Forks or junction of the Lehigh Branch; the latter was on Minnisink 
Plains in New Jersey, about eight miles south of Port Jervis, Orange 
County. It was obviously known to the Dutch long before Van der 
Donck wrote the name. It was visited by Arent Schuyler, a credited 
interpreter, who wrote, in his Journal, Minissink and Menissink as the 
name of the tribal seat. Although it is claimed that there was another 
council-seat on the East Branch of the Delaware, that on Minisink 
Plains was no doubt the principal seat of the tribe, as records show that 
it was there that all official intercourse with the tribe was conducted for 
many years. Schuyler met sachems and members of the tribe there 
and the place was later made a point for missionary labor. Their village 
was palisaded. On one of the early maps it is represented as a circular 
enclosure. In August, 1663, they asked the Dutch authorities at New 
Amsterdam, through Oratamy, sachem of the Hackinsacks, "For a small 
piece of ordnance to use in their fort against the Sinnakas and protect 
their corn." (Col. Hist. N. Y., xiil, 290.) In the blanket deed which 
the tribe gave in 1758, to their territory in New Jersey, they were styled 
" Minsis, Monseys, or Minnisinks." Minsis and Monseys are convertible 
terms of which the late Dr. D. G. Brinton wrote: "From investigations 
among living Delawares, Minsi, properly Minsiu, formerly Min-assin-iu, 
means 'People of the stony country,' or briefly, 'Mountaineers.' It is 
the synthesis of Minthiu, 'to be scattered,' and, Achsin, 'stone,' according 
to the best native authority." 

In writing of "The Indians under the English," Ruttenber^ says: 

The Minnisinks hesitated at first to embark in the war [of 1688], 
and sent Paxinos, their chief, to New York to consult with Governor 



1 History of the Indian Tribes of Hudson's River, p. 178. 



HEY E-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY g 

Dongan in regard to the matter.^ They subsequently contributed their 
quota, however, and rendered important service. 

At the outbreak of the war the Shawanoes were contesting the 
advance of the Iroquois in the South, and were also engaged in war with 
the Cherokees. In the latter they suffered severely, and but for the 
timely aid of the Mahicans, would have been destroyed. The Lenapes 
[Delawares] invited them to remove to their country; the invitation 
being accepted, the Minsis brought the matter to the attention of the 
government of New York, in September, 1692, on an application to 
permit their settlement in the Minnisink country. The council gave 
its assent on condition that they should first make peace with the Five 
Nations.^ This was soon effected, and the messengers departed, ac- 
companied by Arnout Vielle, an interpreter, and three Christians, to 
visit the country of the Shawanoes and consummate the transfer. . . . 
Captain Arent Schuyler visited the Minnisinks in February, and there 
learned that the Shawanoes were expected early in the ensuing summer. 
This expectation was realized.^ 

The following journal of Captain Arent Schuyler's visit to the 
Minisink country* in 1693 or 1694 is given in full, as it is the first 
account of an official visit to this section. 

Journal of Captain Arent Schuyler's Visit to the Minisinck Country. 
May it pleas your Excell. 

In persuance to y"^ Excell: commands I have been in the Minnissinck 
Country of which I have kept the following Journall: viz* 

169! y® 3*^ of Feb: I departed from New-Yorke for East New-Jersey 
and came that night att Bergentown where I heired two men and a guide. 

y® 4*'^ Sunday. Morning. I went from Bergen & travilled about ten 
English miles beyond Haghkingsack to an Indian place called Peckwes. 

ye ^th Monday. From Peckwes North and be West I went about 
thirty-two miles snowing and rainy wether. 

» This the author amplifies by the following note: '"Ordered, that a message be 
sent to Minnisinks, to order them to send up their young men to Albany to join with 
the Five Nations against the French.' — Council Minutes, May 6, 1688." 

2 River Indians returned from a residence with the Shawanoes, brought with them 
some Shawanoes who intended to settle with the Minnisinks, asking permission to 
that end. Council directed that the Shawanoes must first make peace with the Five 
Nations. — Council Minutes, Sept. 14, 1692." 

* Ruttenber, History of the Indian Tribes of Hudson's River, pp. 1 80-1 81. 

* Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York, vol. iv, pp. 
98-99, Albany, 1854. 



10 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

y® 6th Thusday. I continued my Journey to Maggaghkamieck^ and 
from thence to within half a days Journy to the Mennissinck. 

ye -,th Wendsday. About Eleaven a Clock I arrived att the Minnis- 
sinck, and there I mett with two of ther Sachems and severall other 
Indians of whome I enquired after some news, if the French or their 
Indians had sent for them or been in y® Mennissinck Country Upon w"'* 
they answered that noe I*rench nor any of the French Indians were nor 
had been in the Mennissinck Country nor there abouts and did promise 
y* if y^ French should hapen to come or y* they heard of it that they will 
forthwith send a mesinger and give y'' Excellency notice thereof. 

Inquireing further after news they told me that six days agoe three 
Christians and two Shafiwans Indians who went about fifteen months 
agoe with Arnout Vielle into the Shanwans Country were passed by the 
Mennissinck going for Albany to fech powder for Arnout and his Com- 
pany; and further told them that s*^ Arnout intended to be there w*^ 
seaven hundred of y* said Shanwans Indians loaden w*'^ beavor and peltries 
att y® time y^ Indian Coarn is about one foot high (which may be in the 
month of June.) 

The Mennissinck Sachems further s^ that one of their Sachems & 
other of their Indians were gone to fech beavor & peltreis which they 
had hunted; and having heard no news of them are afraid y* y® Sinneques 
have killed them for y'' lucar of the beavor or becaus y° Mennissink In- 
dians have not been w*^ y® Sinneques as usiall to pay their Dutty, and 
therefore desier y* your Excell. will be pleased to order y* the Senneques 
may be told, not to molest or hurt y^ Mennissincks they being willing 
to continue in amity with them. 

In the afternoon I departed from y® Minnissincks; the 8*^, the 9*^, & 
lo*'^ of Feb. I travilled and came att Bergen in y^ morning and about 
noone arrived att New Yorke. 

This is may it pleas your Excell. the humble reporte off your Excel- 
lency's most humble servant. 

Arent Schuyler. 

Another early reference to the Minisink village appears in the 
work of Thomas Budd,^ published originally in 1685: 

1 The Indian name of the river Neversink, which falls into the Delaware, a little 
south of Port Jervis, Orange County, New- York. Eager's History of Orange County, 
392. — Ed. 

2 Good Order Established in Pennsilvania &• New-Jersey in America. Reprinted, 
Cleveland, 1902. p. 26. 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A M UN SEE CEMETERY II 

From the Falls of Delaware River the Indians go in Cannows up 
the said River, to an Indian Town called Minisincks, which is accounted 
from the Falls about eighty Miles; but this they perform by great Labour 
in setting up against the Stream; but they can come down with ease and 
speed; the River from the Falls runs from the North and North-West 
and about twenty miles, as I my self observed in my Travel so far by the 
River, but by the Indians Information, it cometh about more Easterly 
farther up. I have been informed, that about Minisincks, by the 
River-side, both in New-Jersey and Pennsylvania is great quantities of 
exceeding rich open Land, whiqh is occasioned by washing down of the 
Leaves and Soil in great Rains from the Mountains, which Land is 
exceeding good, for the raising of Hemp and Flax, Wheat, or any other 
sorts of Corn, Fruits, Roots &c. 

In the second edition of Adriaen Van der Donck's Beschryvinge 
van Nieuw-Nederlandt, published at Amsterdam in 1656, appears a 
map of "Nova Belgica sive Nieuw Nederlandt" (see our pi, i). 
On the Zuydt Rivier (the South or Delaware), at a point some 
distance south of and on the same side as the town called Mechari- 
enkonck, there is a locality designated "t'Schichte Wacki" on the 
map. This is the exact situation of the Minisink town. The 
meaning of the full name is unknown, but wacki signifies "place of." 
Ruttenber,^ in speaking of the Minisink, says: "Their village was 
palisaded. On one of the early maps it is represented as a circular 
enclosure." 

Incorporated in a work published in 1747^ is a map showing an 
old Indian trail extending from Navesink, on Shrewsbury river, 
just south of Sandy Hook, to the bank of the Delaware, ending at a 
point opposite Minisink island at approximately the place where 
Minisink village and its burial place were situated. This trail, as 
shown on the map, is called "Minisink Path. Indian Path from 
Navesink to Minisink." Minisink island is likewise shown. This 
is another indication that Minisink was the most important settle- 
ment of the tribe, probably its council village. 

1 Footprints of the Red Men, op. cit., p. 221. 

2 A Bill in the Chancery of New Jersey at the Suit of John Earl of Stair, and others, 
Proprietors of the Eastern-Division of New Jersey against Benjamin Bond and some other 
Persons of Elizahethtown, Distinguished by the Name of the Clinker Lot Right Men. 
With three maps. New York, James Parker, 1747. 



12 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

Faden's map of The Province of New Jersey^ places " Minising" 
at the mouth of the small stream which is given the name of " Mini- 
sing Creek or West Brook." The town is represented by three 
small pyramids. "Minising Island" is also shown. 

The Minisink village is noted, with varied orthography, on a 
number of early maps, but the only one that indicates what might 
have been intended as a symbol for a circular enclosure is that of 
Sauthier,^ dated 1779, which represents the village by means of a 
small circle surrounded by five pyramidal figures; the circle, how- 
ever, is such as is generally employed for indicating any village. 
This cartographer locates the Minisink settlement on the northern 
bank of a small unnamed stream that flows into Bena Kill at 
this; point. 

On a Historical Map of Pennsylvania^ there is shown on the 
Delaware river, opposite Minisink island, at approximately the 
place where the cemetery stood, three parallel marks, and "Mine- 
sink I. T.," meaning Indian town. The island is given as " Minising 
Island." 

It should here be noted that the names of abandoned villages 
were frequenty retained on early maps as if the settlements them- 
selves were still inhabited. 

PREVIOUS ARCHEOLOGICAL WORK IN THE VICINITY 

L. W. Brodhead* gives a description of graves opened in a 
cemetery near the Delaware Water Gap. He says: 

The following extracts from a letter written by a gentleman who, 
with others, visited the Indian burial-place near the Gap, in the autumn 
of 1865, is deemed not out of place in this connection. The letter was 
published in the North American and United States Gazette: "Various 

1 Faden, North American Atlas, London, 1777. 

^ A Chorographical Map of the Province of New York in North America, London, 
January ist, 1779. 

^ Historical Map of Pennsylvania showing the Indian Names of Streams and Villages, 
and Paths of Travel, etc., edited by P. W. Sheafer, and others. Publication Fund of the 
Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1875. 

■* The Delaware Water Gap: Its Scenery, its Legends and Early History. Second ed., 
Philadelphia, 1870, pp. 115-124. 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 1 3 

localities of interest are pointed out as the sites of Indian villages and 
burial-grounds. . . . One of these early cemeteries has long been regarded 
with interest by visitors to the Gap and residents of the neighborhood. 
In vain, however, did those desirous of exploring it apply for permission 
to the proprietor of the soil. But . . . certain parties met, not having 
the fear of Mr. Zimmerman . . . before their eyes, and under the cover of 
night and a dense young forest, perpetrated that which men of science 
had ineffectually attempted. It may not positively be known what 
articles have been taken from the despoiled graves, but I have been 
informed that among the articles found was a finely wrought stone pipe. 
With this digression, I will give a brief account of our operations to-day. 
We found the cemetery composed of numerous ' graves,' in close proximity 
to one another. These were scarcely distinguishable, so slight is the 
elevation. Each grave is encircled by a trench, and a group of some half 
a dozen had evidently been surrounded by a gravel ditch. The circum- 
vallation was quite distinct. Selecting an undisturbed spot, we put a 
couple of stout men to work. Removing the soil, we were convinced 
human agency had been at work. Instead of the gravel, which marks the 
diluvial, we found a coarse yellow sand, intermingled with clay. At the 
depth of about two and a half feet, we found an ulna, or some other parts 
of a human frame. The skeleton was in tolerable preservation. The 
cranium is in good condition, with the exception of a portion of the right 
superior maxillary, which appeared missing. The teeth are in good 
preservation, but much worn by the use of maize. The sections indicate 
a person of about middle age. The frame was large, and doubtless that 
of a male. The mode of burial had been by inhumation; placing the 
body in a recumbent posture, extending from east to west, the face 
looking eastward. A slight cist had been excavated, which received the 
body, free from cement or stone incasement, and having placed with it 
the few personal articles which ornamented it in life, a careful covering of 
sand was made to the height of the cist, and terminating in a small 
tumulus. The sand had evidently been carried from the river's beach, 
as it Is not found at a nearer point. This is a peculiarity, and worth 
attention. Of the articles of personal adornment recovered were parts 
of two metallic ornaments, brooches, or ear-drops, found in close proxim- 
ity to the head. They are an alloy, pewter perhaps, circular in form, 
and two inches in diameter. Also, two spiral wire springs of brass, one 
inch in length and half an inch in diameter, and three bone or shell beads, 
one quite large. These are by far the most valuable and interesting 
relics recovered, as they are purely aboriginal, while the metallic articles 



14 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

are of European fabrication. In addition to those discovered was the rude 
form of a pocket-knife, but so oxidized as to be almost undistinguishable. 
Of course, these articles, with the exception of the bone beads, are of 
white men's manufacture, and utterly valueless to the archaeologist." 

We incorporate the following extract from Bulletin 40 of the 
New York State Museum concerning archeological work conducted 
by that institution in 1909: 

In September the assistant in archeology was sent to Port Jervis 
to excavate the site of a Minsi village and burial ground . . . Little 
or nothing is known regarding the archeology of the Minsis nor was it 
possible to determine from an examination of the Port Jervis site much 
concerning their culture except in the line of their mortuary customs. 

The Van Etten site, the site of the Minsi village and burial place is 
foiind on the Levi Van Etten farm on the east bank of the Minisink river, 
two miles from Port Jervis. Excavations conducted during the months of 
September and October, 1909, by the assistant in archeology resulted in 
the discovery of 30 graves and several hearths and refuse pits. The 
latter contained little of interest, only a few potsherds and rude flints 
being found with them. An examination of the burials proved that the 
Minsis had for some time been influenced by the white men about them. 
Some of the skeletons seem to have been buried in rough wooden boxes. 
The position of all skeletons found in what appeared to be the remains of 
boxes was the extended position instead of the flexed position generally 
found in old burials in this State. Most of the objects found in the graves 
were of European origin. These objects include beads of several sizes 
and shapes, brass and iron finger rings, brass bracelets, brass bells of 
two forms, one bronze soup spoon, one clay pipe stamped R. Tippet, 
and brass buttons. The aboriginal artifacts found in the graves were 
all shell ornaments, probably pendants or gorgets. 

In 1872 Ruttenber^ described this site as follows: 

On the east bank of the Neversink river, three miles above Port 
Jervis, on the farm now or late of Mr. Levi Van Etten, exists an Indian 
burial ground, the graves covering an area of six acres. Skeletons have 
been unearthed, and found invariably in a sitting posture, surrounded 
by tomahawks, arrow-heads, etc. In one grave was found a sheet iron 
tobacco box containing a handkerchief covered with devices, employed 
doubtless to preserve the record of its owner's services. 

> History of the Indian Tribes of Hudson's River, Albany, 1872, p. 96. 



HEY E-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY I 5 

SITUATION OF THE MINISINK CEMETERY 

From the foregoing historical data it is evident that the burial 
place excavated by the Museum of the American Indian belonged 
to the Munsee and that it was near the site of Minisink. The ceme- 
tery is on what was originally the Westbrook estate in Sandyston 
township, but is now owned by Burson W. Bell, Esq., who married a 
descendant of the Westbrooks, the property having remained in 
continuous possession of the family for seven generations. The 
site lies four miles southwest of the Milford toll-bridge, on both 
sides of the historic "Mine road," the portion on which the ceme- 
tery was situated stretching from this highway to the bank of 
Bena Kill, which forms the eastern boundary of Minisink island. 

For many years the Bell farm has been noted in connection with 
a so-called "Indian fort," situated a short distance from the Bena 
Kill, which is merely the ruin of an old stone house said to have 
been used by the settlers in repelling attacks of Indians. Many 
evidences of Indian occupancy have been found on the surface, 
and about twenty years ago Dr Edward S. Dalrymple, of Branch- 
ville. New Jersey, unearthed a number of skeletons in a sandy 
plain near the bank of the creek. Since that time Mr Westbrook, 
Mr Paul Tooker of Westfield, New Jersey, and others have dug 
into the burial place, and four years ago Mr Bell, the owner of the 
farm, in plowing on the opposite or sloping side of the hill, un- 
earthed the skeleton of a child with which were several shell orna- 
ments as well as objects of European manufacture. 

The cemetery proper is on the south bank of the Bena Kill, 
opposite the lower end of Minisink island. At this point the creek 
bluff is about thirty feet in height. Near the bank the surface is 
level, but it stretches inland, forming a series of low sand-dunes. 
The eastern end of the burial area has the appearance of a low, 
broad mound, and for convenience of reference it will be known as 
such in this paper. A few hundred feet east of the mound are a 
series of higher dunes having the form of ridges: these are at the 
lower edge of the plateau that extends to the base of the range 
which parallels the river. 

The mound presented no physical indication of its use as an 



1 6 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

aboriginal cemetery. It extends several hundred feet from the 
bank of the stream, but only the portion nearest the creek was 
utilized for burial purposes. It is a natural sand-dune, similar to 
the dunes of greater or lesser height that extend for miles along the 
New Jersey bank of the Delaware, but when examined by our party 
numerous stone implements and potsherds were found on its 
surface. On the crfest of the mound, fragments of human bones, 
including portions of skulls, and parts of tubular shell beads were 
found. These had been upturned by the plow, thus indicating 
the shallowness of some of the burials. 

Max Schrabisch, in his "Indian Habitations in Sussex County, 
New Jersey,"^ describes Minisink island and also the village site 
on the mainland. Concerning Minisink island, he says: 

This island lies about 15 feet above normal water level of Delaware 
River and is practically level. There was a camp site and fishing place 
at its northern end, where arrow-points of flint and jasper as well as 
net sinkers of a type quite common in Delaware Valley and usually 
consisting of flat oval pebbles notched on opposite sides were once fairly 
abundant. Situated as it is in the immediate neighborhood of the Great 
Minisink village and separated from it only by the river channel, it may 
seem strange that it was apparently the site of only one camping ground, 
although the fact that it is flooded wholly or in part in periods of high 
water probably accounts for this. However, scattered relics were 
found in at least two places. 

Continuing, he speaks of the village as follows: 

The Great Minisink village was situated directly south of Minisink 
Island on high level land overlooking Delaware River. Artifacts of 
every description have been found here, and many of them are now in 
Burson Bell's collection. ... A burial ground adjoins the village site, 
many of the graves encroaching upon and intermingling with the lodge 
sites. 

In speaking of the discoveries made by Mr Bell, he writes: 

One grave discovered accidentally by Mr. Bell while ploughing, 
contained some extraordinary rare objects, exhibiting the highest degree 
of workmanship ever attained by the Lenni Lenape. Along with a piece 

> Bulletin 13, Geological Survey of New Jersey, 191 5, pp. 28-30. 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 1 7 



of burnt mica, a piece of zinc, a stemmed jasper scraper and twelve dark 
blue beads, he found eight white stone tubes, one-quarter of an inch in 
diameter and from two to four inches long, used perhaps by the medicine 
man to draw disease from the sick. But the piece de resistance were two 
exquisitely carved ornaments of an immaculate white color, representing 
hawks or eagles. These ornaments, designated as ceremonial objects 
(bannerstones), mark perhaps the grave of a chief and are now in Bell's 
collection. 

The shell birds mentioned by Mr Schrabisch, now the property 
of the Museum of the American Indian, are herein described and 
illustrated (figs. 12, 13). Mr Schrabisch gives two crudely drawn 
and rather misleading sketches of these 
ornaments, which he designates "ban- 
nerstones." The "stone tubes," also in 
the Museum of the American Indian, 
are in reality shell ornaments, under 
which caption they are described in the 
present paper. 

Previous Work in the Cemetery 

Dr Dalrymple evidently did con- 
siderable digging in the northwestern 
part of the mound, but, so far as known, 
no measurements or photographs were 
taken. His investigations proved that 
the Indian inhabitants had been in con- 
tact with white settlers and that some of 
the bodies had been buried within the 
historical period. There is sufificient 
evidence to show that at least fifteen 
skeletons were exhumed by this investi- 
gator. With one of the bodies, that of 
a child, was a copper kettle; a silver 
spoon; a necklace composed of two shell beads, two glass beads, 
eleven thimbles, and one bell, tied to which were the remains of a 
deerskin thong; a bone comb; and eight copper bracelets which 




Fig. 2. — Bone comb found by 
Dr Dalrymple. 



1 8 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

were found on the right wrist. Graphite and animal bones also 
were found in the grave. The skeleton lay i8 in. beneath the 
surface, the skull directed S. 

The bone comb found in this grave is shown in figure 2; it 
measures 3^ in. in height and if in. in width. The upper part is 
ornamented with the figure of a wolf or a dog. The neck and 
head of the animal are carved in the round, the shoulders project, 
and the legs are in low relief. Similar combs are not uncommon in 
Iroquois sites in the State of New York. 

With most of the skeletons exhumed by Dr Dalrymple nothing 
was found; with one, however, there was a pewter pitcher, a pair 
of copper ear-ornaments, and seven shell beads. 

Investigations by the Museum of the American Indian 
Owing to the fact that human remains had been removed from 
various parts of the mound, a series of test trenches were dug. 
The first, extending through the southeastern edge, gave no indi- 
cation of disturbed soil. The second trench was dug nearer the 
eastern exposure, and it was here that the first indications of burials 
were encountered. From this point trenches were dug to the 
extreme northwestern part of the burial area, and ultimately the 
greater part of the mound was excavated. The position of each 
burial is shown on the accompanying plan (pi. 11). 

THE BURIALS 

The first evidence of disturbed earth was noted at the central 
part, just below the surface soil and extending to a depth of 4 ft. 
8 in., its greatest width being 2 ft. 6 in. At a depth of 2 ft. 6 in., 
half of a pitted hammerstone, split by fire, was found. Just above, 
at the edge of this disturbed soil, was a large piece of deer antler. 
There were traces of charcoal in this pit, but no evidences of a 
burial. 

A second pit was encountered near this one; in size it was 
practically the same as the one just described. In it, at a depth of 
2 ft. I in., a pestle and a flat stone were found. 

Following is a description of the burials uncovered during the 
excavations in the cemetery. 



HEYE-PEPPER—EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 1 9 

Skeleton i, which lay 3 ft. 3 in. below the surface, was that of 
an old person, but only a portion of the skull and a few other bones 
grouped about it were found. This may have been a reburial, 
but as there were indications of the burrowing of groundhogs in 
the mound, the missing bones may have been carried to the surface 
by these animals. 

Skeleton 2, that of a child, was found in clearing away the surface 
soil. The body lay on its back in an extended position with the 
legs together, the right foot folded over the left; the cranium was 
10 in. below the surface. The bones of the lower part of the body 
were in place, but above the pelvis all the bones had been disturbed 
and the cranium had been torn apart, a portion of it being missing. 
The body lay NE by SW, the head directed toward the latter 
point. The disturbed sand of the mound extended but a few 
inches below the skeleton. Above the burial were pieces of char- 
coal, a few deer-bones, and fragments of pottery, but no objects 
were in direct association. (See pi. iii.) 

Skeleton j, an adult, lay on its right side, the body extending 
NE by SW, the head having been toward the SW. The legs were 
flexed and the arms extended along the sides of the body. The 
pelvic bones were one foot below the surface, but the skull doubtless 
was somewhat shallower and had probably been destroyed by 
plowing, as no positive trace of it could be found. Fragments of 
the skull of an adult found on the surface near this point, however, 
may have belonged to this burial. Nothing was found with the 
skeleton. (See pi. iii.) 

Skeleton 4 consisted of part of a cranium and a mass of ribs 
and other bones of a child. These remains were grouped in the 
lower part of and just below the surface soil. The cranium had 
been broken, no doubt by plowing, the disturbed portion resting 
on the frontal bone. The occiput was 7I in. below the surface. 
Nothing was found with this burial. 

Skeleton 5, an adult, lay extended NE by SW in the surface 
soil, an inch above the undisturbed sand. The head had been 
directed SW. The upper part of the body had been disturbed, 
both the cranium and the lower jaw being missing, but below the 



20 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

pelvis the skeleton was complete. The upper part of the pelvic 
bone was only 3^ in. beneath the surface. Nothing was found 
with this burial. 

Skeleton 6, an adult, undisturbed, lay on its right side, the legs 
flexed, the arms bent upward, the hands under the chin. The 
top of the cranium was 14 in. below the surface. Under and 
around the hands aAd beneath the chin were a large number of 
small glass beads, and also under the chin were two small pieces of 
chipped flint. Above the neck were thirty-seven large, spheroidal, 
glass beads, and two beads made of olivella shells. A few inches 
from the occiput a flat piece of limestone was found. Between the 
arms and just below the point of the chin. were two clay pipes of 
European manufacture (pi. iv, a; xiv, b, a, e). Two feet west of the 
skeleton were evidences of a feast-pit, shown by a discolored area, 
irregular in shape, in which were found pieces of charcoal, frag- 
ments of split animal bones, two potsherds, and three arrowpoints. 

Skeleton 7, a child, was on its back, with arms against the sides 
and legs extended. The skull was crushed, as if a heavy weight 
had pressed upon the frontal bone. The body lay NE by SW, the 
head toward the SW, 13 in. below the surface. About the neck 
and under the chin were twenty-one small, black, glass beads, a 
large bead of white glass, and six shell disc-beads. The disc- 
beads were lying in a row with the glass beads between them. 
Between two of the disc-beads were four of glass, each pair being 
connected with a small, dull-green, tubular bead of copper, the 
salts of which had preserved the cord, thereby holding the beads, 
which formed a necklace, in their original position. The restored 
necklace is shown in plate viii, a. A photograph of the skeleton is 
reproduced in plate iv, h. 

Skeleton 8, that of an adult, was lying NE by SW, with the 
head in the latter direction. The skull, which was broken, together 
with the upper part of the vertebrae, had been displaced, and the 
bones of the lower part of the body had likewise been disturbed. 
The body was lying on its back, with arms extended. Within 
two inches of the cervical vertebrae was a deposit of wire ornaments 
and five tubular shell beads, and the remains of what seemed to be 



CONTRIBUTIONS FR) 



VOL. II, NO. 1, PL. II 



2.5'o 



p 

h) 




/4Q'0'' 




i65'^' 



CONTHIBUTlONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 



75'"" 






»'57 



l(,l^ f56 



Y61 



P'P^ 



/00'»" 



25'"" 



?5'0" 



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/%2^25 4 ^^ DOG . / 



f6+ js(. 



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Uo/26 



'25 



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/25'o" 



25 '""t 



PLAN OF THE MINISINK CEMETERY, SHOWING POSITION OF THE BURIALS. THE OUTLINE INDICATES THE EXTENT OF THE EXCAVATIONS 



VOL. II, NO. 1, PL. 




/40'o" 



/r>5'''" 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II. NO. 1 , PL. IV 




(/. SKELETON 6 WITH EUROPEAN CLAY PIPES 







■.:<♦. 




'^: '-*A>-:y "- ^.j^ag^itfiK^; 



\ ' ^^ 



^. SKELETON 7, AN EXTENDED BURIAL 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 2 1 

a rush bag, in which evidently the objects had been buried. The 
shell beads lay under the mass and rested on a piece of bark. At 
the ends of some of the shell beads were two glass beads, as shown 
in plate v, b; others had but one glass bead at the end. As there 
were ten glass beads in the deposit, it is probable that the beads 
had formed a necklace and that two glass beads alternated with the 
shell tubes. The wire pieces were in the form of flat coils, but 
were broken and corroded to such an extent that their original 
form could not be determined. From the position and condition 
of the deposit, and from the fragments of fiber found above and 
below the objects, it would seem that the ornaments had been 
wrapped in a piece of bark, or placed in a fiber bag which was 
then wrapped in bark. In removing the cranium a shell pendant 
(fig. 8, a) was found. The upper part of the cranium was discolored 
by contact with red paint, pieces of which still adhered to it. 
Another portion of the cranium was stained with copper salts, but 
the metal that caused it had disappeared. (PI. v, a.) Southeast 
of the leg-bones and joining the burial was a feast-pit extending 
to a depth of one foot below the skeleton. In this pit, and nearly a 
foot below the level of the leg-bones, a large piece of the rim of a 
jar was found, likewise a number of chipped stones, and deer-bones 
that had been cracked evidently for the purpose of extracting the 
marrow. Throughout the pit were pieces of charcoal, and above 
the objects mentioned were numerous animal bones, potsherds, 
and a broken drinking-cup made of the carapace of a box-turtle. 

Skeleton g, an adult, 7^ in. below the surface, lay NE by SW, 
on its right side, the legs flexed, and the skull directed SW. The 
left arm was in front of the face, the hand under the chin. There 
were no accompaniments. 

Skeleton 10, a child, was found 16 in. below the surface. The 
skull lay with the occiput toward the south; the other bones were 
grouped about and under it, the major portion being on the northern 
side of the skull, thereby showing that, like most of the other 
burials, the body had been interred with the head toward the SW. 
The skull, a few of the vertebrae, and the ribs, were the only bones 
present. This may have been a reburial, which would account 



22 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

for the missing parts. Under the chin were three triangular shell 
pendants (fig. 8, h-d), and a shell ornament shaped like a porpoise 
(fig. 15). Sixty-five glass beads were found with the pendants. 

Skeleton 11 was that of an adult. The bones had been disturbed; 
the skull lay at the southwestern end of the scattered bones. Many 
of the vertebrae were ankylosed. Deer-bones and charcoal were 
found intermingled with the bones of the skeleton, but these evi- 
dently were the remains of a feast, as there was a feast-pit immedi- 
ately northeast of and in juxtaposition to the skeleton, in which 
were two large pieces of a pottery jar, evidently in their original 
positions. One of the leg-bones of the skeleton lay just above the 
pottery, but no doubt it had been forced -out of place when the 
other bones were disturbed. Above and around the sherds of the 
jar were pieces of charcoal and animal bone. 

Skeleton 12 was that of an adult, the skull of which was 14 in, 
below the surface. The body was lying on its back, with legs 
extended; the arms lay parallel with the sides of the body, and the 
hands rested on the pelvis. The tibiae, fibulae, and foot-bones had 
been disturbed. The skull, which was directed SW, had been 
crushed, but was lying in its natural position, with the lower jaw 
in place. No artifacts were found with this burial. The dis- 
colored sand continued west of the skeleton, but there were com- 
paratively few animal bones in it. 

Skeleton 13, an adult, the skull 11 in. below the surface. The 
body lay on its right side, with the legs flexed and the skull toward 
the SW. The arms were bent upward; the hands rested against 
the chin. A bear- tooth, found directly beneath the skull, was the 
only accompaniment of this burial. 

Skeleton 14, a child, with the skull 13 in. below the surface. 
The body lay on its back, with legs extended and with the arms at 
the sides. The skull, which was crushed, was directed SW. Apiece 
of limestone rested on the chest. The bones of the skeleton had 
been disturbed. 

Skeleton 15, a child, 18 in. below the surface. The bones were 
scattered and the cranium was missing. There were no burial 
accompaniments. 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1 , PL. V 




a. SKELETON 8 WITH DEPOSIT OF ORNAMENTS NEAR SHOULDER 




6. BEADS AND WIRE ORNAMENTS WITH SKELETON 8 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 23 

Skeleton i6, a child, 17 in. below the surface. The cranium had 
been crushed. The body lay extended on its back, the skull 
directed S. A small flat stone was found under the jaw. 

Skeleton 17, a child, the skull 20 in. below the surface. The 
body was on its back, with legs extended and the head pointing SW. 
Under the jaw were nine tubular beads and one spherical shell bead, 
also many small glass beads, and eighteen beads of yellow glass 
made to represent grains of corn. 

Skeleton 18, a young child, lying on its back, with legs extended. 
The skull, which had been crushed, was toward the SW and lay 
6\ in. beneath the surface. A few inches below the jaw and 
resting on the upper ribs was a bird ornament of shell (fig. 10). 
About the neck were a number of small glass beads, and nine 
cylindrical shell beads. This body had been interred over another 
(Skeleton 19) — the only instance of a superimposed burial in the 
mound. 

Skeleton ig, which lay 14 in. below Skeleton 18, was that of an 
old person. The body evidently had been lying on its side, with 
legs flexed and the head toward the SW. The skull had fallen from 
its normal position and lay nine inches below the cervical vertebrae; 
the occiput was upward and the lower jaw a few inches above it. 

Skeleton 20 is that of a white man of the Scandinavian or 
Nordic type. It was buried on its right side, with legs flexed. The 
cranium was ii in. below the surface and was directed SW. 
The bones were in their normal positions, but most of them, in- 
cluding the skull, had been broken, as though by pressure. In the 
mouth cavity a piece of rock crystal was found. 

Skeleton 21, an adult, 8 in. below the surface. The bones, 
especially the skull, were broken and disturbed, but the general 
position showed that the head had been toward the SW. Nothing 
was found with the burial. 

Skeleton 22, a child, lay on its back, 8 in. below the surface. 
The skull had been crushed, and the bones were broken and scat- 
tered, but the head had been toward the SW. Nothing was found 
with this burial. 

Skeleton 23, an adult, lying on its left side with arms and legs 



24 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

flexed, and with the hands above the head. It was i6 in. below the 
surface; the head was directed SW. There were no accompani- 
ments. 

Skeleton 24, an adult, 10 in. below the surface; lying on its back, 
with head toward the SW. The arms were akimbo, with the hands 
resting on the pelvi^. The legs were extended, the left crossing 
the right at the ankles. Resting against the left shoulder was a 
deposit of objects consisting of two flints and fragments of a steel, 
two circular mirrors with metal backs (pi. xvi), a clay pipe of 
European manufacture (pi. xiv, b, d), and a pewter pipe (pi. xiii, c). 

Skeleton 25, a young child, 15 in. below the surface. The body 
was lying E and W, with the skull toward the W. The skull was 
crushed and the other bones were in bad condition. Nothing was 
found with the burial. 

Skeleton 26, a child, lying on its back, with legs extended. It 
was 8 in. below the surface; the head was directed SW. The bones 
had been disturbed and were in bad condition; the skull was crushed. 
Lying so that it nearly touched the lower jaw was a long shell 
pendant shaped like a lamprey eel (fig. 16), and below it was a 
shell disc (fig. 6). 

Skeleton 27, a child, 14 in. below the surface. It was lying 
N and S, with the skull toward the S. The skull was badly crushed 
and the bones of the body were much decayed. Nothing was 
found with it. 

Skeleton 28, an adolescent, lying on its back, with legs extended 
and with arms at the sides. It was 7 in. below the surface; the head 
was toward the SW. The skull was crushed, but the other bones 
were in their normal positions. Six inches beneath the skeleton 
and a little to the west of it was a layer of clam-shells under which 
was a hammerstone and several deer-bones. 

Skeleton 2Q, 9 in. below the surface, was that of a child which 
was lying on its back. The arms rested at the sides, the legs were 
extended, and the left foot was crossed over the right. The body 
was lying with the head toward the SW. When the first indication 
of this skeleton was encountered, careful search was made in the 
earth that had been thrown out with a few finger-bones. In this 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1 , PL. VI 




a. SKELETON 31 WITH DEPOSIT OF BONE TUBES AND PIPES 




b. BONE TUBES AND PIPES, AND UPPER PART OF SKELETON 31 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 2$ 

were two shell crescents (fig. 4), a metal spoon (pi. xvii), six catlinite 
beads of irregular form, a tubular shell bead, and many small glass 
beads, all of which evidently had been held in the right hand. 
Near the left knee a small metal bell (pi. xvii) was found. Not 
far from the pelvic arch and resting against the left femur was a 
deposit of ornaments consisting of a shell disc, a small metal bell 
(pi. xvii), and a catlinite bead with serrated edge. 

Skeleton 30, a child, the skull of which lay 14 in. below the 
surface. It was lying extended on its back, the skull directed E, 
the arms at the sides and the legs extended. On the breast and 
almost touching the lower jaw was a bird ornament of shell (fig. 11); 
below and around it were many small glass beads. Under the 
right cheek-bone was a cylindrical shell bead. The shell bird and 
this bead are shown in plate vii, a. About the neck were the 
beads of a necklace, of which the shell bird no doubt was the 
pendant. This necklace consisted of six shell disc-beads, nine 
wampum beads, and a number of glass beads. The number of 
disc-beads is the same as that noted in connection with Skeleton 7, 
and the necklace evidently had been similar in form, the relative 
position of the pieces being shown in plate viii, a. Small pieces of 
red paint were mingled with the beads, and under the occiput was 
a mass of similar material. (PI. vii, h.) 

Skeleton 31, an adult, lying on its right side, with legs flexed. 
It was 13 in. below the surface, and the head was toward the SW. 
On the right side of the body, near the ribs, was a clay pipe (pi. 
XIV, B, h) that evidently had been broken before being deposited with 
the burial, as the stem was lying below the stem of a pewter pipe, 
while the bowl was level with the latter. The bowl of the pewter 
pipe (pi. XIII, a) was beneath a deposit of six bird-bones which 
probably had been used as medicine tubes (pi. vi). 

Skeleton 32, an infant, lying NE and SW, with the head toward 
the SW. It was 17 in. below the surface, and many of the bones 
were missing. There were no accompaniments. 

Skeleton 33 was that of an adult which lay on its back with the 
arms at the sides. It was 9 in. below the surface, with the head SW. 
The skull, which was broken, lay in a mass of red paint and char- 



26 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

coal. Near the left upper part of the skull was a fragmentary 
turtleshell rattle, only a portion of the carapace of which remained, 
but the fragments show that it had been drilled. The lower part 
of the shell was broken, but all the pieces were recovered and show the 
instrument to have been ornamented with a design formed by drilled 
holes as shown in plate xi and figure i8. Mingled with the frag- 
ments of the rattle were 35 small glass beads, and 26 small pebbles 
which no doubt had been contained in the instrument when in 
working condition. 

Skeleton 34 was that of an adult, found 10 in. below the surface, 
lying on its back with the legs extended^ and with the head SW. 
No objects were found with it. 

Skeleton 35, an adult, lay 14 in. down, the skull directed SW. 
The bones are well preserved, but nothing was found with them. 

Skeleton 36, an infant, 11 in. down, with the head toward the SW. 
The leg-bones were missing and the other bones were badly decom- 
posed. Below the lower jaw and resting on the chest were eight 
shell pendants, six of which represent owls (fig. 9), and two shell 
ornaments in the form of fish, also a number of shell and glass beads. 

Skeleton 37, a child, was found lying on the right side, with the 
legs flexed. The head was toward the SW and was i ft. 9 in. below 
the surface. The hands were clasped under the head. Resting 
on the upper part of the skull were 45 shell beads. 

Skeleton 38, an adult, found i ft. 7 in. down, consisted of a 
mass of dissociated bones that had been reburied. 

Skeleton 3Q, an adult, lay on its back, with the head toward the 
SW and 11 in. below the surface. The hands were clasped on the 
breast. An upturned brass kettle (pi. xiv, a) was found with the 
rim resting on the forehead. Near the right scapula was a clay 
"trade-pipe," and under it another of similar size and make (pi. 
XIV, B, c, /). Near the pipe were three flints such as were used for 
striking fire. At one side of and near the pipes were two round 
mirrors in metal frames (pi. xvi), and in the right hand were two 
flints similar to those found near the pipes. (PI. vii, b.) 

Skeleton 40 was that of an adult; it was found i ft. below the 
surface and had been previously dug. No objects accompanied 
the burial. 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1 , PL. VII 




a. SKELETON 30 WITH SHELL BIRD AND TUBULAR SHELL BEAD 




b. SKELETON 39 WITH BRASS KETTLE ON HEAD 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 2/ 

Skeleton 41, an adult, lying on its left side, with legs flexed 
and head toward the W, was found i ft. 7 in. below the surface. 
The right hand rested against the pelvis, the left was under the 
skull. The left humerus and ulna were ankylosed at the elbow. 
Nothing was found with the body. 

Skeleton 42, an adult, lay 7 in. below the surface. The skull 
was badly broken, and the bones of the upper part of the body had 
been disturbed, probably by plowing. The legs were flexed and 
their position showed that the body had rested on its left side. 
Nothing was found with it. 

Skeleton 43, an adult, was represented by a mass of dissociated 
bones. The pelvis was 7 in. below the surface. This burial had 
been previously dug. 

Skeleton 44 was that of an adult; it was lying on its back, with 
body extended; the skull was toward the SW, rested on its left 
side, and was 15 in. below the surface. On the right scapula was a 
short, round flaking-tool of antler, and under the skull was a bone 
awl (pi. X, B,/) and a bone flaking-tool. 

Skeleton 45 was that of an adult, lying on its left side, 18 in. 
below the surface, with the skull toward the SW. The leg-bones, 
the bones of one foot, and those of the left arm were missing. 

Skeleton 46, an adult, lay 2 ft. 3 in. below the surface. This 
burial had been previously dug. 

Skeleton 47 was that of an adult, lying with its head toward the 
SW and 16 in. below the surface. Part of the skull was missing, 
and the upper part of the body had been disturbed. 

Skeleton 48, an infant, was found 13 in. below the surface and 
with its head toward the SW. The bones were in poor condition 
and had been disturbed. 

Skeleton 49, an infant, was in very poor condition ; it was found 
17 in. below the surface, with the skull toward the SW. 

Skeleton 50, an adult, lay i ft. 10 in. below the surface, with 
head toward the SW. The bones are well preserved, but the 
burial had been disturbed. 

Skeleton 57 was that of a small child and was found i ft. below 
the surface. The only remaining portion was the skull, which was 



28 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

badly crushed, but slight traces of decomposed bone showed that 
the head had been directed SW. Near the left side was a small 
brags kettle (pi. xiv, a), also a number of small, red glass beads. 

Skeleton 52 was that of an adult and was found i ft. 8 in. below 
the surface. The bones had been disturbed and the skull was 
missing. 

Skeleton 53 was that of an adult; it lay 16 in. below the surface 
and was extended on its back. The skull, which was badly broken, 
lay toward the SW. On the left wrist were four brass bracelets 
(pi. xv) and fragments of others. The ulna and the radius had been 
discolored by the salts of the metal. On the left scapula were two 
large shell pendants, each in the form of a fish (fig. 14). Under 
the chin were a number of small glass beads, also a small copper 
bead and another of catlinite. 

Skeleton 54, extended on the back, was that of an adult and was 
found 16 in. below the surface, with the skull toward the SW. 

Skeleton 55, that of a child, was found 9 in. down. It was lying 
extended on its back, with the head toward the SW. 

Skeleton 56, an adult, was found 8 in. below the surface, with 
the head toward the SW; it rested on its right side, and the legs 
were flexed. The hands w^ere under the chin. The lower leg- 
bones were deformed. 

Skeleton 57, that of an adult, was found 15 in. below the surface, 
with the head toward the SW; it was lying on its right side, with 
legs flexed and hands under the chin. On the right side, and 
extending from the lower jaw to the pelvis, was a pewter pipe 
(pi. XIII, b) the rim of which is ornamented in relief with the 
figure of a wolf or a dog. 

Skeleton 58, a child, lay extended on the back, i ft. beneath the 
surface, with the skull toward the SW. The arms were at the 
sides of the body. In each hand was a mass of fused iron. In 
association with this burial there were evidences of a feast, for 
over the body there was a broad discolored area in which were 
much charcoal and many cracked animal bones, mostly those of 
deer. Other burials showed evidences of accompanying feast-pits, 
but none was so strongly marked as this. 



?ia 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 29 

Skeleton 5Q, an adult, was i ft. 8 in. below the surface, with the 
head toward the SW. The body was lying on its right side; the 
legs were flexed. About the neck was a metal chain (pi. xvii). 
Seven cylindrical shell beads, and a shell pendant in the form of a 
beaver (fig. 17), were found at the back of the neck. 

Skeleton 60, that of an adult, was found extended on its back, 
13 in. below the surface, with the head toward the SW, The left 
hand was on the chest; the right was at the side of the body. A 
broken bowl rested on the head. 

Skeleton 61, an adolescent, was found 15 in. below the surface, 
with the head resting on the right side, directed toward the SW. 
The skeleton lay on its back, with the body extended and the 
hands under the skull. Under the left shoulder were 130 
small shell beads in rows, their position suggesting that they had 
formed part of a woven band, the beads of which were arranged as 
are those in a typical wampum belt. 

Skeleton 62, a child, lay i ft. 9 in. below the surface, with the 
head toward the SW. The skull was broken. 

Skeleton 63 was that of an adult; it was found 18 in. below the 
surface, with the head directed SW. The burial rested on its 
left side and the legs were flexed. The bones were in very poor 
condition. 

Skeleton 64, an adult, 12 in. below the surface, with head toward 
the SW. The upper part of the body had been disturbed, but the 
leg-bones, which were flexed, were in position. The body was 
interred lying on its right side. 

Skeleton 65, a child, 8 in. down. The bones had been disturbed 
and were in bad condition. 

Skeleton 66, a child, 7 in. below the surface, with head toward 
the SW. The body lay extended on the back. Under the chin was 
an elaborately carved shell gorget (fig. 7) and fragments of iron. 
A bear-tooth also was found with the body. 

Skeleton 67, an adult, the bones of which were in poor condition, 
was found extended on its back only 2 in. beneath the surface, the 
skull directed SW. On the left shoulder were two native pottery 
pipes (pi. XII, a b), fragments of iron just above the pipes, and a piece 



CONTR. MUS. AM6R. INDIAN 



^°^-"''-°-'.PL.V,„ 









!^ 


fo... - 


>•'_■) 




^ 




a. SHELL DISCS, OR RUNTEES, FOUND NEAR NECK OF SKELETON 30 




6. RESTORATION OF A NECKLACE FROM SHELL DISCS AND BEADS FOUND NEAR NECK OF SKELETON 7 



30 • MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

of flint. The bowl of one of the pipes, which represents a human 

figure, was directed toward the skull; that of the other pointed 

toward the feet. 

Skeleton 68, an adult, was found lo in. below the surface, lying 

on its right side, with legs flexed and with the head toward the SW. 

The hands were under the chin. 
i 

All the skeletons that it was found possible to preserve have 
been presented to the United States National Museum, where they 
are now being studied by Dr Ales Hrdlicka. In the accompanying 
table is presented all necessary information in regard to the physical 
features of the burials encountered, so Jfar as the present paper is 
concerned. An exhaustive report on the skeletons, by Dr Hrdlicka, 
>vill be published in the near future. 

A summary of the positions of the skeletons, so far as it was 
determinable in each case, is as follows: 

Extended 28 

Flexed 17 

Disturbed 18 

Previously dug 3 

Reburial i 

JBones decomposed I 

68 

OBJECTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BURIALS 

Shell Ornaments 

Discs 

Prof. W. H. Holmes, in his "Art in Shell of the Ancient Ameri- 
cans,"^ says: 

I present a number of illustrations of a class of relics which have 
occasionally been mentioned in literature, and which are represented to 
some extent in our collections. As these objects resemble beads rather 
more closely than pendants, I shall refer to them in this place, although 
Mr. Schoolcraft considers them badges of honor or rank, and treats them 
as gorgets. He describes them as consisting of a "circular piece of flat 

1 Second Ann. Rep. Bureau of Ethnology, p. 228. 



^ T3 r< ■" — I 



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TABLE SHOWING THE 



CHARACTER AXD ARRANGEMENT OF 
ACCOMPANYING THEM 



THE BURIALS, AXD THE OBJECTS 



SKELE- 
TON 
NUMBER 


DEPTH 


DIRF.C- 
TKJN OF 
SKELE- 

1 TON* 


POSITION OF 
SKELETON 


POSITION 

OF 

SKULL 


DI- 

1 REC- 

TION 

OF 
FACE 


AGE AND 


iEX 


OBJECTS FOUND 


I 


3' 3" 




Disturbed 


Back 




Old person 


cT 




2 


10" 


SW-NE 


Extended 






Child 






3 


l' 0" 




Flexed 


Right 


SE 


Adult 


& 




4 


7i" 




Disturbed 






Child 






S 


3i" 


SW-NE 


Extended 


Back 




Adult 


9 




6 


l' 2" 




Flexed 


Right 


SE 




9 


Worked limestone; Worked flint, Two European clay 
pipes; Glass and shell beads 


7 


l' l" 




Extended 


Back 




Child 




Six shell disc-beads; Glass and metal beads 


8 






Disturbed 






Adult 




Turtleshell cup; Red paint; Shell pendant; Wire 
ornaments; Glass and shell beads 


9 


7l" 




Flexed 


Right 


SE 




9 




10 


i' 4" 




Disturbed 






Child 




Fish figure of shell; Tlxree triangular shell pendants; 
Glass beads 


II 


8" 




" 






Adult 




Fragments of large jar 


12 


i' 2" 




Extended 


Back 




Adult 






13 


11" 




Flexed 


Right 






cT 


Bear-tooth 


14 


i' i" 




Extended 


Back 




Child 




Piece of limestone 


IS 


i' 6" 




Disturbed 












i6 


I' 5" 


S-N 


Extended 


Back 








Piece of stone 


17 


i' 8" 


SW-NE 












Shell and glass beads 


i8 


6i" 


" 


" 










Shell bird; Glass beads; Cylindrical shell beads 


19 


i' 8|" 




Flexed 


Right 


SE 


Adult 


9 




20 


11" 








SE 




eft 


Rock crystal 


21 


8" 


" 


Disturbed 






Adult 






22 


8" 


" 








Child 






23 


I' 4" 




Flexed . * 


Left 


NW 


Adult 


cf 




24 


10" 


" 


Extended 


Back 






9 


Pewter pipe; European clay pipe; Flints and steel; 
Mirrors 


25 


l' 3" 


W-E 








Child 






26 


8" 


SW-NE 




Back 








Fish figure of shell; Shell disc 


27 


l' 2" 


S-N 














28 


7' 


SW-NE 


" 


Back 




Adolescent 


9 




29 


9" 










Child 




Six catlinite beads; Two shell crescents; Metal spoon; 
Two brass bells; Shell disc; Shell and glass beads 


30 


i' 2" 


S-N 












Six shell disc-beads; Shell bird; Red paint; Shell and 
glass beads 


31 


i' i" 


SW-NE 


Flexed 


Right 


SE 


Adult 


9 


Six bird-bone tubes; Pewter pipe; European clay pipe 


32 


I' s" 




Disturbed 






Infant 






33 


9" 




Extended 


Back 




Adult 


cf 


Turtleshell rattle; Pebbles; Glass beads; Red paint 


34 


10" 












9 




35 


i' 2" 












9 




.36 


11" 




Disturbed 






Infant 




Two fish figures of shell; Six shell birds; Shell and 
glass beads 


37 


I' 9" 




Flexed 


Right 


SE 


Child 




Shell beads 


38 


i' 7" 




Reburial 






Adult 


cf 




39 


11" 


SW-NE 


Extended 


Back 






9 


Two European clay pipes; Brass kettle; Five flints; 
Two mirrors 


40 


1' 0" 




Previously dug 






" 


9 




41 


i' 7" 


W-E 


Flexed 


Left 


NW 


" 


cf 




42 


7" 












cf 




43 


7" 




Previously dug 












44 


i' 3" 


SW NE 


Extended 


Left 


NW 




cf 


One bone and one antler flaking tool; Bone awl 


45 


i' 6" 




Disturbed 




NW 




9 




46 


2' 3" 




Previously dug 








9 




47 


I' 4" 


SW-NE 


Disturbed 








cf 




48 


i' i" 










Infant 






49 


i' 5" 




Bones decomposed 












50 


i' 10" 




Disturbed 






Adult 


cf 




SI 


i' 0" 


" 








Child 




Small brass kettle; Glass beads 


52 


I' 8" 










Adult 


9 




53 


I' 4" 


SW-NE 


Extended 


Back 






dr 


Two shell figures of fish; Four brass bracelets and 
eleven fragments; Glass, stone, and metal beads 


54 


l' 4" 


" 




" 




" 


cf 




55 


9" 


" 


" 






Child 






56 


8" 


" 


Flexed 


Right 


SE 


Adult 


9 




57 


I' 3" 


" 






SE 




cf 


Pewter pipe with animal on bow! 


58 


i' 0" 


" 


Extended 


Back 




Child 




Fused metal 


59 


I' 8" 




Flexed 


Right 


SE 


Adult 


9 


Beaver figure of shell; Metal chain; Cylindrical shell 
beads 


60 


l' i" 


" 


Extended 


Back 






cf 


Fragment ot earthenware bowl 


61 


1' 3" 


" 




Right 


SE 


Adolescent 


9 


Small shell beads 


62 


I' 9" 




Disturbed 






Child 






63 


I' 6" 




Flexed 


Left 


NW 


Adult 






64 


l' 0" 






Right 


SE 








65 


8" 




Disturbed 


Back 




Child 






66 


7" 


SW-NE 


Extended 






Child 




Shell gorget; Bear-tooth; Fragments of iron 


67 


2" 


" 


" 






Adult 




Two pottery pipes; Flint and steel 


68 


10" 




Flexed 


Right 


SE 


Adult 


9 





* The first direction given indicates the position of the skull with reference to the direction of the skeleton, 
t This skeleton is that of a Scandinavian. 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1, PL. IX 




BIRDS AND TUBULAR BEADS OF SHELL FOUND IN THE CEMETERY BY MR BURSON BELL 



HEY E-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 3 I 

shell, from one and a half to two inches in diameter, quartered with double 
lines, having the devices of dots between them. This kind was doubly 
perforated in the plane of the circle." 

In " Notes on the Iroquois," by the same author, we have a much fuller 
description. He says that " this article is generally found in the form 
of an exact circle, rarely a little ovate. It has been ground down and 
repolished, apparently, from the conch. Its diameter varies from three- 
fourths of an inch to two inches; thickness, two-tenths in the center, 
thinning out a little towards the edges. It is doubly perforated. It is 
figured on the face and its reverse, with two parallel latitudinal and two 
longitudinal lines crossing in its center, and dividing the area into four 
equal parts. Its circumference is marked with an inner circle, corre- 
sponding in width to the cardinal parallels. Each division of the circle 
thus quartered has five circles, with a central dot. The latitudinal and 
longitudinal bands or fillets have each four similar circles and dots, and 
one in its center, making thirty-seven. The number of these circles 
varies, however, on various specimens." 

Dr William M. Beauchamp,^ in referring to Schoolcraft's de- 
scription of this class of ornaments, says: 

"The form described by Schoolcraft is usually indented at the edge, 
where each perforation begins, and the cross lines are sometimes omitted. 
The small circles and dots have no meaning, the number being regulated 
by the space to be occupied. They were apparently made by a small 
circular steel drill, having a central point. . . . The parallel holes from 
edge to edge served to keep the necklace flat when strung, and this 
feature is frequent in pipestone ornaments. . . . Beverley, in his History 
of Virginia, p. 145, calls these runtees, and says " they are made of the 
conch shell, as the peak is, only the shape is flat and like a cheese, and 
drilled edgeways." 

Dr Beauchamp states also that these objects were probably 
made by white men, and "may be the round shells used as presents 
in one New York Council." With this we cannot agree, for the 
irregular shape of the discs found in the Minisink cemetery, in 
connection with the irregular ornamentation, points to aboriginal 
workmanship. Dr Beauchamp further states that Professor 
Holmes is correct in his assumption that these ornaments were 

I Wampum and Shell Articles Used by the New York Indians, BuUelin of the Nem 
York State Museum, No. 41, Albany, 1901, p. 373. 



32 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

beads rather than pendants, and adds that "several strings of these 
have been found just as they were deposited with the dead." 

With two of the skeletons (7 and 30) in the cemetery, neck 
ornaments composed in part of these discs were found in position. 
With Skeleton 7 were six disc-beads, and with them twenty-one 
small black glass beads, two cylindrical metal beads, and one 
white shell bead of oval form. The glass beads were found between 
the discs, there being in one instance four of these and two of the 
metal beads in place and still adhering to the original cord. Their 
position showed conclusively the interval between the disc-beads, 
and the number of small shell beads used in alternation. Twenty- 
one of the glass beads were found. As twenty is the number of 
these required to complete the necklace, the remaining bead may 
have been used in connection with the white glass bead to form a 
pendant, or there may have been another six-bead spacing at the 
end of the string, which would have preserved the proper alterna- 
tion of discs and beads when the necklace was in use. 

The manner of wearing the disc-beads has been discussed by 
various authors. It is generally believed that they were used as 
necklaces, but the manner of stringing them differed. The finding 
of the necklace with Skeleton 7 enables us to determine the actual 
method of stringing these discoids when used in connection with 
smaller beads. Plate viii, h, illustrates the necklace in its original 
form and shows the discs in actual size. The drilling is indi- 
cated, and on the edges where the perforations begin there are 
indentations, one at the mouth of each opening (probably due to 
abrasion by the small glass beads with which they were strung), 
giving the intervening space the appearance of a projection. The 
discs are thick in the center and taper toward the edge. They 
had been ornamented by incising, but the surfaces have disinte- 
grated to such an extent that only traces of the decoration remain. 

Six shell discs of similar size and form were found about the 
neck of Skeleton 30 (pi. viii, a). Four of them are decorated on 
both faces with transverse bands crossing at the center; the other 
two show only slight traces of such lines. The disc shown in 
figure 3 is the most perfectly preserved. Both sides bear the same 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1 , PL. X 




.1. ANTLER ARROWPOINTS AND PIECES OF WORKED ANTLER 




B. TYPICAL BONE AWLS FOUND IN THE MOUND 



HEYE-PEPPER—EXPLORATION OF A M UN SEE CEMETERY 33 





Fig. 3. — Shell disc found with Skeleton 30. 



decoration. The central square formed by the crossing of the 
incised bands is plain, while in each of the diverging bands there 
are four dots. The drilling of these discs is of the same character 
as that shown in the series found with Skeleton 7, but the surfaces 
of three of the discs with Skeleton 30 (the first, second, and fifth 
from the left) do not 
taper from the center 
toward the edge, while 
the other three taper 
only slightly. Inter- 
mingled with these disc- 
beads and occupying the 

spaces between them were 144 small glass trade-beads, nine ordi- 
nary white and purple wampum beads, and a cylindrical glass bead 
similar in size and color to the wampum. The small gla^s beads no 
doubt filled the intervals between the disc-beads, as did the glass 
beads forming part of the necklace with Skeleton 7. The wampum 

and the cylindrical glass bead 
may have formed the strand 
from which the bird pendant 
found on the breast of the skele- 
ton was suspended. It may be 
seen in position in the photo- 
graph of this skeleton (pi. vii, 
a), and near it, in the shadow 
of the upper jaw, a badly weath- 
ered portion of a large tubular 
bead. The size and general form 
of the bird pendant is shown in 
figure II. It was drilled through 
the neck for suspension. From 
evidence afforded by more perfect specimens of similar form it is 
probable that the upper surface was ornamented, but decomposi- 
tion of the shell has obliterated all traces of decoration. 

Near the pelvis of Skeleton 29 was a shell disc-bead, identical 
in drilling and in uniformity of thickness with the beads found with 




Fig. 4. — Crescent-shaped ornaments of 
shell found with Skeleton 29. 



34 



MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 



Skeleton 7. Near the right hand a deposit of shell and glass beads 
was found, also a few beads of catlinite. With this deposit were 
two crescent-shaped beads or pendants (fig. 4), alike in size and 
ornamentation, and both drilled for suspension. Here the drilling 
takes the form of the double perforation noted in connection with 
the disc-beads. Th^ outer edge of each pendant, which forms the 
segment of a circle, is carefully finished, but the concave edge is 
irregular and crudely worked. Examination of these specimens 
suggested that they might have formed parts of a large gorget. 
The spacing of the radiating ornaments supported this belief, 
which was strengthened by the occurrence of the section of part of 










riCBz: 



Fig. s. — Gorget restored from crescents (fig. 4) found with Skeleton 29. 




an old lateral drilling, and finally confirmed by assembling the two 
reworked fragments and restoring the design of the original gorget 
as shown in* figure 5. This design is similar to that on a specimen 
from Pompey, New York, figured by Beauchamp, and practically 
duplicates the central design of the shell gorget shown in our figure 7. 
In figure 5 an outline of the original disc is shown, with the line of 
the old drilling indicated by dotted lines. From the position of 
this drilling, which was to one side of the center, it is probable that 
the disc had been doubly perforated. The crescents are practically 
uniform in thickness. The edges are slightly rounded from wear. 
With Skeleton 26 another shell disc was found. As shown in 



•CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1 , PL. XI 




-^»i^mim^ 







-v ^ 



I > 



% 



> \ 




.* 




FRAGMENTARY TURTLESHELL RATTLE FOUND WITH SKELETON 33 



HEVE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 35 

figure 6 it is similar to the ones that accompanied Skeleton 7, 
being of the type that decreases in thickness from the center to 
the edge. The ornamentation is practically identical with that on 
the discs found with Skeleton 30, the only difference being the 
presence of a dot in the central square. The disc is drilled, but 
there is only one perforation, whereas all the others are doubly 
pierced. This disc was found under the lower jaw of the skeleton, 





Fig. 6. — Shell disc found with Skeleton 26. 

and near it was a shell ornament in the form of a fish. As no small 
beads were found in association, it is probable that these ornaments 
were used as pendants. 



GORGET 

The largest and most ornate of shell ornaments of the disc type 
found with the burials is a gorget which accompanied Skeleton 66 
(fig. 7). It evidently was made from a portion of the outer wall 
of a conch. The design is deeply incised. The holes for suspen- 
sion are drilled through the central portion, which bears an orna- 
mentation similar to that shown in figure 5, which illustrates the 
restored gorget found with Skeleton 29. There are six divisions in 
this design, and the same number is shown in the heart-shaped fig- 
ures that form the major portion of the ornamentation. As the 
reproduction of this object is of natural size, a detailed descrip- 
tion of the design is unnecessary. It is, however, an unusually 
good specimen of a type of shell ornaments seldom found in eastern 
burial sites. 



36 



MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 




Fig. 7. — Shell gorget found with Skeleton 66. 
TRIANGULAR PENDANTS 

With the skeletons four triangular shell pendants were found. 
The largest of these (fig. 8, a) was under the skull of Skeleton 8 
It is very thin and the surface is much disintegrated. A hole has 
been drilled through the upper part, but only a portion of it remains. 







a b c d 

Fig. 8. — Triangular shell pendants found with Skeletons 8 and 10. 

The other three triangular pendants were found under the lower 
jaw of Skeleton 10. In form they are similar to that first described, 
but the perforation for suspension is drilled through the longer 
axis, as shown in figure 8, h-d. 

There is no evidence of ornamentation on any of these pendants. 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 37 
BIRD FIGURES 

Shell ornaments in the shape of birds are represented by ten 
specimens, all of which are in the form of pendants and were found 
with burials. Eight were taken out in the course of our work, 
while the other two, as previously mentioned, were found by Mr 
Bell. Of the ten examples six portray the body of a bird as it 
appears with wings folded; the other four represent the wings 
extended, and in each specimen the other main physical features 
are likewise indicated. 

Figure 9 shows one of a series of six bird-shaped pendants of 
shell, similar in general form, found near the 
neck of Skeleton 36. They vary somewhat 
in shape and size. These shell effigies repre- 
sent the owl ; two of them show the eyes and 
the beak. There is no evidence of decoration 
on the body portions. The hole for the 
suspension of the pendants passes through 

the neck, and it is evident that the objects had been worn a long 
time, as the ends of the beads with which they were strung have 
abraded the sides of all of them. With these six bird pendants 
were 237 shell beads, and two shell pendants in the form of fish. 

The bird shown in figure 10, which is rather massive and has 
extended wings, was found in association with small shell and glass 




Fig. 9. — Shell owl figure 
found with Skeleton 36. 





Fig. 10. — Shell bird pendant found with Skeleton 18. 



beads near the neck of Skeleton 18. The breast is carved in 
relief, as are also the legs and the beak. The wings taper from the 
body to the tips, and on each side of and at the junction of the wing 



38 



MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 



and the body they are decorated with parallel lines and dots. 
Decomposition of the surface has obliterated the greater part of 
the original ornamentation, the design mentioned being the only 
decoration that remains. A broad, lateral groove accentuates the 
neck, and the perforation for the cord passes directly beneath it. 
The eyes are represented by small circles, each with a central dot. 
The size and geheral form of another bird pendant are shown 
in figure i i ; it was found with Skeleton 30 and probably had been 




Fig. II. — Shell bird pendant found with Skeleton 30. 



attached to the necklace of shell discs and beads lying nearby. 
This bird is more delicately carved than the one just described. It 
has an oval body and scimitar-shaped wings which taper from the 
body outward. The raised portion forming the beak and the slight 
indication of the eyes are the only decorative features that remain, 
the surface being soft and chalky from decomposition. 




Fig. 12. — Shell bird pendant found by Mr Bell. 

One of the bird figures found with the skeleton of a child by Mr 
Bell (pi. IX, b, and fig. 12) presents a surface the major portion of 




•^ c/2 



HEY E-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 39 

which is perfectly preserved. The figure represents a hawk or an 
owl. The tips of the wings and the end of the tail are discolored, 
and their superficial polish is gone; the tip of the beak is abraded, 
and a small piece has been broken from the left wing; otherwise the 
figure is perfect. The shell from which this bird was cut was slightly 
curved, the concave portion being the side that rested against the 
body of the wearer. The body of the figure is a rounded oval; 
the legs are represented by two knobs; the head is carved in the 
round, and the eyes are formed by circles enclosing, dots. The 
hole for suspension passes through the neck. At the lower part of 
this aperture, on each side, is the end of a necklace-like band 
formed by parallel lines separated by a row of dots in contact. 
The claws of the left foot are faintly represented by a series of five 
dots, and there is a slight groove in a corresponding position on 
the right foot, but these indications are not shown in the drawing. 
Three deeply incised lines separate the tail from the body, and 
there are four incised parallel lines on each side of the tail. The 
upper edge of the wings is outlined by a series of triangular incisions, 
five on each wing, forming a serrate design. Paralleling the base 
of this ornamentation is a narrow line which serves as a starting 
point for a series of three incised bands that decorate each wing. 
The band nearest the body on each side is clear-cut and well pre- 
served; it is formed by two groups of four parallel, vertical lines 
separated by a row of dots. This design is similar to that shown in 
figure 10 which illustrates a bird found with Skeleton i8. 

The second bird (pi. ix, a, and fig. 13) suggests the figure of a 
kite or possibly a swallow. In the former specimen the breast of the 
bird was shown, whereas this one represents the back. It has 
broad, scimitar-like wings and a bifurcated tail. The surface is 
decomposed to such an extent that the physical features have 
almost disappeared, and only portions of the ornamentation remain. 
The back is formed by a raised oval area at the point where the 
tail and body join; the head is irregular in form, the top being 
rounded and projecting slightly above the level of the neck. The 
attitude of the figure shows that the bird is represented in flight. The 
hole for suspension passes through the central portion of the head. 



40 



MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 



Just above and slightly in front of the perforation openings are the 
eyes, represented by the usual circle surrounding a dot. The 
beak was below the eye-circles, but it is missing; the general contour, 
however, shows that it projected only slightly above the present 
surface. A decorative band begins below the openings of the 
perforation and expends across the rear of the neck ; it is composed 
of two parallel lines separated by a row of dots, thus practically 
duplicating the design on the breast of the bird figure last described, 




Fig. 13. — Shell bird pendant found by Mr Bell. 

except that in the present specimen the dots are not in contact with 
the lines. Extending along the upper edge of the wings is a line of 
dots enclosed in small circles, and there are faint indications, of 
another line near the central part of the wings. There is a drilled 
perforation near the tip of the left wing, as if to facilitate the attach- 
ment of a feather or some other symbolic object. 



FISH FIGURES 

Shell ornaments in the shape of fish are not uncommon in 
Algonquian and Iroquois burial sites. In some sections of the 
East they are usually crudely fashioned, but those found in the 
Minisink mound are uniformly well executed. 

All the shell ornaments of this type from the mound were found 
with skeletons. There are six specimens, five representing a 
porpoise-like creature and the sixth a lamprey eel. 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1 . PL. XIV 




A. BRASS KETTLES FOUND WITH SKELETONS 39 AND 51 




B. EUROPEAN CLAY PIPES FOUND WITH THE BODIES 



H EYE-PEP PER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 4 1 

The largest ornaments of this class were found with Skeleton 53; 
they were resting on the left scapula and had probably been the 
pendants of a necklace, as shell and glass beads were found near 
the neck of the skeleton. The best preserved specimen is shown 
in natural size in figure 14. The shovel-shaped nose, curved back, 
and the large dorsal fin give it somewhat the appearance of a 
porpoise or a dolphin. The tail and the dorsal, ventral, and anal fins 
are carved in relief. The eye is represented by a dot within a circle, 
and in addition to a well-defined decorative band there are traces 
of two other bands on the eroded portion of the shell. The figure 
has two holes for the passage of a suspending cord, one on each side 
of the dorsal fin, the lower openings being midway between the 
ventral and the anal fin. 




Fig. 14. — Shell pendant of fish form found with Skeleton 53. 



The fish figure found with the one just described is practically 
a duplicate in size and form; but there are minor differences, such 
as the spacing of the fins and the drilling. The position of the 
suspension holes is the same, but on the lower surface the openings 
are nearer together than in the first specimen. None of the three 
decorative bands is well preserved, but the one near the central 
portion of the body, and the third, extending from the upper portion 
of the ventral fin to the back, are more clearly defined than the 
remaining one. 



42 



MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 




Fig. 15. — Shell pendant of fish form 
found with Skeleton 10. 



Another fish figure of shell (fig. 15) was found with Skeleton 10; 

it was lying on the neck, and with it were three triangular shell 

pendants and a number of glass beads. This specimen is much 

smaller than those found with Skele- 
ton 53, but is of the same general 
form; however, it is less curved, and 
there is a greater relative distance 
between the lower fins. The drilling 
is the same as in the other examples. 

(^ ~~(0 <Q~^^^z^^'^^^^^7^ the openings being on each side of 

the dorsal fin. The eye is represented 
by a deep crescentic incision, and the 
mouth line also is incised. 
Two very small fish carvings were found with Skeleton 36, 

associated with other shell pendants in the form of birds, as well as 

with shell beads, and were on and just 

below the neck of the burial. In form 

they are similar to the large fish figures 

found with Skeleton 53, and the drilling 

is identical, but proportionately the head 

is larger and the tail more slender and 

tapering. The surfaces of the objects are 

disintegrated and no trace of ornamen- 
tation remains. On one of them the dot 

representing the eye is still in evidence. 
An unusual fish pendant was found 

with Skeleton 26. Figure 16 gives a top 

and a side view of the specimen, which 

probably was designed to represent a 

lamprey eel. The outline sketch shows 

the hole for suspension, also a series of 

lines which may be the remains of deco- 
rative bands. 





Fig. 16. — Shell figure of a lam- 
prey eel found with Skeleton 26. 



OTHER ANIMAL FORMS 

A single animal figure in shell was found ; it was with Skeleton 59 
and represents a beaver. Figure 17 shows it in natural size, with 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A M UN SEE CEMETERY 43 



the missing portions indicated in outline. The body portion is 
very thin, but increases in thickness from the forelegs to the top 
of the head, as shown in the outline drawing. The under-body sur- 
face is flat, but the lower part of the head is rounded. The object 
is drilled for suspension, the hole passing through the neck. The 
upper part of the head is rounded and the eyes are represented by 
dots. The legs, tail, and distended sides of the body are cut in 
relief. Two parallel lines crossing the neck enclose three dots; 
this necklace-like decoration is similar to the bands that ornament 
the two bird figures found by Mr Bell. 




a 



BEADS 

The shell beads found with the skele- 
tons, all of aboriginal manufacture, are of 
five kinds, namely: typical wampum beads; 
long, cylindrical beads; those made of oli- 
vella shells; those spherical in form; and 
large disc-beads. 

The disc-beads were found with Skele- 
tons 7, 26, 29, and 30, and already have 
been described. 

Wampum beads of the usual type were 
found with four of the skeletons. About 
the neck of Skeleton 30 were nine beads of 
this kind ; resting on the chest of Skeleton 
36 were 237, and on the cranium of Skele- 
ton 37 there were 45. There were 130 with Skeleton 61, and, as 
mentioned in connection with the description of that skeleton (page 
29), were lying in rows under the left shoulder, as if they had 
formed a belt-like object. 

Cylindrical or tubular shell beads were found in six of the 
graves. These are of the form so readily cut from the columella 
of a univalve, and range in length from i to 4! in. None of them 
is ornamented, and in most cases the surface has disintegrated. 
With Skeleton 8 were five beads of this variety, associated with small 
glass beads in such manner as probably to have formed a necklace 



Fig. 17. — Shell pendant 
representing a beaver, found 
with Skeleton 59. 



44 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

(pl. v). Under the jaw of Skeleton 17 there were nine more of this 
type, found in connection with a spherical shell bead and a number 
of glass beads. About the neck of Skeleton 18 were nine cylindrical 
beads and a number of glass ones. Forming part of a deposit of 
ornaments near the right hand of Skeleton 29 was a single bead of 
this type, and under the right cheek-bone of Skeleton 30 there was 
another, shown in plate vii, a. Skeleton 59 was accompanied with 
seven of these beads, lying near the neck. 

A single spherical shell bead was found; it was lying with the 
tubular beads under the jaw of Skeleton 17. 

With Skeleton 6 were two small beads made from olivella shells, 
but they are greatly disintegrated. Although this type of beads 
is abundant in many eastern sites, these were the only ones found 
in connection with the burials at Minisink. 

Further reference to shells and shell ornaments not in associa- 
tion with burials is given on page 73. 

Stone Implements and Ornaments 

Although many stone implements and a few stone ornaments 
were found in the feast-pits associated with the burials and else- 
where in the cemetery, few objects of stone were buried with the 
bodies. 

No large implements were found, and the only small ones con- 
sist of ten pieces of flint, associated with Skeletons 24 and 67. 
Of these, three were accompanied with steel and were probably 
used for striking fire. Under the chin of Skeleton 6 were two small 
chipped pieces of black flint, and five small pieces were associated 
with other material near the bones of Skeleton 39. Three flat 
pieces of limestone were found — one, near the skull of Skeleton 6, 
is a fragment with disintegrated surface, the edges of which may 
have been worked. A similar piece rested on the chest of Skeleton 
14, and another was found under the lower jaw of Skeleton 16. 
From the position of these stones it is evident that they had not 
been deposited fortuitously. 

With Skeleton 33 were twenty-six small pebbles, associated with 
glass beads found in and about fragments of a rattle made from the 



H EYE-PEP PER— EXPLORATION OF A Ad UN SEE CEMETERY 45 

shell of a box-turtle. The stones had probably been used with the 
rattle, and the beads as ornaments. 

Another evidence of the ceremonial use of stones in connection 
with the burials was the finding of a rock-crystal in the mouth of 
Skeleton 20. Owing to their attractive appearance, both in their 
translucency and in the beauty of their facets, and no doubt also 
to the mystery associated with their formation, crystals have been 
and still are used by many primitive peoples for ceremonial pur- 
poses, and the Munsee of Minisink were no exception, although the 
skeleton under consideration is that of a white man. 

Practically all the beads of aboriginal manufacture deposited 
with the dead are of shell; a few are made of metal, but only seven 
stone beads were found: these are of catlinite, or red pipestone, 
and were found with Skeletons 29 and 53. With the former there 
were six, five of which were with a deposit in or near the right 
hand; three of them are bar-shaped, while the others are irregular 
in form. The sixth bead, found with a deposit of objects near 
the pelvis, is also of the bar type, but the edges, instead of being 
plain as are those of the other beads found with the skeleton, are 
serrated. Catlinite was used in the Middle West in prehistoric 
times, and through intertribal barter found its way into regions 
far from the aboriginal quarries in Pipestone county, Minnesota. 
On this subject Dr William M. Beauchamp^ says: 

A little before a.d. 1700, catlinite, or red pipestone, was brought 
East in small quantities, and soon became quite abundant. It assumed 
many forms, and was commonly delicately perforated for suspension, 
often having a double parallel perforation for the purpose of keeping it 
exactly in place. 

The beads above mentioned are the only objects of catlinite 
found during our investigations, but among the surface finds from 
the immediate neighborhood there is a pipe of this material. 

For reference to objects of stone not associated with burials, 
see pages 70-73. 



1 Polished Stone Articles Used by the New York Aborigines, Albany, 1897, pp. 

26-27. 



46 



MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 



Objects of Bone, Antler, and Turtleshell 

Articles made of materials under this caption found with the 
skeletons were limited to a bone awl, a bone bodkin, an antler 
flaking- tool, a fragment of a turtleshell rattle, part of a turtleshell 
drinking-cup, two bear- teeth, and six bone tubes. 

The awl, of turkey-bone (pi. x, B,/), was found with Skeleton 44. 
The end has been pointed, but the remainder is unworked. The 
flaking-tool, found with the same skeleton, is fashioned from a 

fragment of animal bone, 
probably deer, and one sur- 
face of the pointed end has 
been abraded. As the ex- 
treme point is missing, it is 
impossible to say definitely 
whether this implement 
was used as a flaker or a 
bodkin, but the worked 
surface would suggest the 
former. 

The fragments of the 
turtleshell rattle shown in 
plate XI and figure 18 was 
found with Skeleton 33. 
The carapace of the turtle 
is an effectual and con- 
venient rattle-box, and to- 
gether with the native 
gourd was no doubt among 
the first forms of hand 
rattles. The lower part of 
the shell, or plastron, is almost perfect; it shows two parallel rows 
of holes drilled either for decoration or for the attachment of 
beads or other ornaments. 

The fragment of the drinking-cup, above referred to, is probably 
a portion of the carapace of a land tortoise. Vessels of this nature 




Fig. 18. — Fragment of turtleshell rattle found 
with Skeleton 33. 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 4/ 

are found occasionally with burials in the eastern part of the 
United States, and a few unbroken ones are in museum collections. 
The specimen under consideration was found under Skeleton 8. 
The careful rounding and smoothing of the rim characterize the 
type of vessel of which this fragment was a part. 

Canines of a bear were found with Skeletons 13 and 66. Such 
teeth were commonly used as ornaments, but neither of the two 
found with this burial is drilled for suspension or otherwise arti- 
ficially worked. 

The six bone tubes were found with a pewter pipe and a clay 
pipe, both of European make, in association with Skeleton 31. 
These tubes are slender bird-bones, averaging 5 in. in length. 
The distal and proximal portions of each have been removed and 
the ends carefully rounded. The surface of each specimen is 
smooth, but there is no evidence of ornamentation. From the size 
and shape of the bones it would be safe to assume that they had 
been used as sucking or drinking tubes. If the former, they 
possibly formed part of the paraphernalia of a medicine-man. 

The only object of antler found with the burials is a flaking-tool 
which accompanied Skeleton 44. It is a short, compact, cylindrical 
piece of antler (2f in. long, | in. in diameter), and shows the effect 
of considerable use. It is of the type of implements used in con- 
nection with a hammer for removing the large flakes during the 
initial stage of chipping which followed the general roughing out 
of a prospective stone tool. 

Reference to objects of bone and antler found dissociated fronm 
burials is given on pages 73-74. 

Aboriginal Pipes 

Only two pipes of native workmanship, both of earthenware, 
were found with the skeletons. This is the only noteworthy 
instance at Minisink in which alien objects greatly outnumbered 
the aboriginal artifacts. Both pipes were found with Skeleton 67,, 
and neither is of unusual form. 

As shown in plate xii, the upper specimen (a) exhibits a type- 
of pipe that has been found in Iroquois sites. The major part of 



48 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

the stem remains; the upper surface and the sides are flat, the 
under surface is rounded. The bowl is of the form of a human 
figure in a semi-reclining posture, the arms resting at the sides and 
the legs bent downward. In its present condition the pipe measures 
4 in. in length. 

The second pipe (pi. xii, h), 5 in. in length, is of the tubular 
variety. The stem is slender and is tubular in form. It is not 
decorated, but there is a line of impressed marks at the junction 
of the bowl and the stem. The bowl is devoid of the usual rim 
projection or ornament, and is without ornamentation save for 
a faint incised-line design on the outer Surface just below the rim. 
The pipe is perfect with the exception that a small portion of the 
mouthpiece is missing. 

For pipes found not in association with burials, see pages 74-75. 

Pottery Vessels 

Although makers of pottery, from the evidence offered by their 
burial place it would seem that the Munsee of Minisink did not 
luse their earthenware as burial accompaniments. Of the sixty- 
height skeletons exhumed, only one had pottery in association, and 
this was merely a fragment. The exception noted was Skeleton 60, 
which had on the cranium a portion of a bowl with a boat-shaped 
■end. The exterior is paddle-marked, but there is no other evidence 
of decoration. Though but a fragment, it is the only evidence of a 
bowl-shaped vessel found in the mound. 

With Skeleton 1 1 two large fragments of a jar were found, 
but as this skeleton had been disturbed it is probable that these 
sherds, like a large rim fragment found with Skeleton 8, had formed 
part of the refuse from a feast that had been cast into the grave. 

A description of the technique of the earthenware of the Mini- 
sink site is given on pages 60-67, i" connection with the discussion 
of the objects not associated with burials. 

Pigments 

The only evidence of pigments found with burials was in associ- 
ation with Skeletons 8, 30, and 33. With the first of these, small 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1 , PL. XVIII 





FRAGMENTARY ALGONQUIAN JARS 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 49 

pieces of red ochre were mixed with the sand that surrounded the 
skull, the upper part of which was discolored by it. The crania 
of Skeletons 30 and 33 were each resting in a mass of red ochre, 
and small pieces of this material were mingled with the beads that 
encircled the neck of Skeleton 30. 

Some of the crania and other bones were discolored by copper 
salts, but there was no indication of the use of paint as a means 
of decoration. 

Objects of European Origin 

Although the first settlement of the Minisink region by white 
people was made during the last decade of the seventeenth century, 
the Munsee, living so near the coast, had been in touch with civiliza- 
tion from the earliest colonial times, hence it was not surprising to 
find various articles of foreign manufacture in the graves. Glass 
beads were among the first trinkets to be traded with the Indians, 
and many of these found their way to Minisink. In addition, 
there were found with the burials the following: brass kettles, 
bracelets, bells, a spoon, and beads; wire ornaments probably also 
of brass; a spoon of German silver; a copper chain; mirrors; fire- 
steels; pewter and clay pipes, and textile fabrics. 

TRADE BEADS 

The trade beads found with the bodies are all of glass, most 
of them black, white, or red, and such as were generally used 
in decorating wearing apparel as well as for necklaces. A few of 
these beads are spherical, and one, found with Skeleton 30, is 
cylindrical in form and blue-black in color. This last was found 
with wampum beads, and in size and shape is similar to those of 
native make. 

Glass beads, unless of unusual type, have little value except 
from a historical point of view. With twelve of the sixty-eight 
burials glass beads were found: these were associated with Skeletons 
6, 7, 8, 10, 17, 18, 29, 30, 33, 36, 51, and 53. The only beads of 
this kind worthy of special note were with Skeleton 17: these 
number eighteen and are of the form of kernels of corn. The skele- 



50 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

ton with which they were found was that of a child, and these beads, 
with others of glass and shell, were about the neck. In making 
these beads both the shape and the color of the corn were imitated. 
Glass beads of similar character are found occasionally in association 
with burials in the eastern part of the United States. In the 
Museum of the American Indian is a series found with a burial 
in an Iroquois site in western New York. 

PEWTER PIPES 

Buried with Skeletons 24, 31, and 57 were three pipes made of 
pewter. These were probably of European manufacture, yet it 
is possible that they were fashioned by the Indians. Beauchamp,^ 
in writing of metallic pipes, says: 

Roger Williams' statement has been given regarding the quickness 
with which the New England Indians learned to cast metals, even in the 
form of pipes. Though Hudson said he saw copper pipes in New York 
in 1609, none of these are known, nor are metallic pipes common. Those 
found on Indian sites were probably made by white men. Pewter and 
lead were easily melted, not so iron and brass. So bars of lead were 
often given to the Indians at treaties and are sometimes found on 
their village sites. 

Comparatively little is known concerning early pewter and 
lead pipes among the Indians, but a sufficient number have been 
found to show that they were not uncommon. Beauchamp 
describes seven that had come under his observation to the year 
1902, since which time many others undoubtedly have been found. 
Most of the known examples of pewter pipes are simple in form. 
Of the three found with the burials at Minisink, two are plain, but 
the third is unusually ornate. 

The first pewter pipe unearthed was with Skeleton 24. As 
previously mentioned (page 24), it was found, with other objects, 
near the left shoulder, and had been broken at the point where the 
bowl and the stem meet. In general form this pipe (pi. xiii, c) 
is similar to certain early trade pipes made of clay. The bowl is 
irregular in form and is greatly corroded. The stem is slender and 



1 Metallic Implements of the New York Indians, Albany, 1902, p. 56. 



H EYE-PEP PER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 5 I 

slightly tapering, and there is no evidence of a heel at the outer 
base of the bowl. On the upper part of the bowl there are traces 
of an incised decoration, but its character cannot be determined. 
The length of the pipe is 4! in. 





Fig. 19. — Pewter pipe found with Skeleton 57. 



With Skeleton 31 a pipe of similar form was found (pi. xiii, a). 
It had been broken, and in the illustration (pi. vi) the stem only is 
shown. Like the pipe last described, its stem is slightly tapering, 



52 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

but is thicker and exhibits less grace in treatment. The mouth of 
the bowl is oval, and the sides are rounded except the surface 
facing the smoker, which is flattened. At the base of the bowl 
there is a well-defined heel, but there is no property mark and 
no trace of decoration. The length is 4! in. 

The most elaborate of the three pewter pipes was found with 
Skeleton 57 (pi. xiii, b). It has a long, slender, tapering, undeco- 
rated stem, and a highly ornamental bowl. The extreme length of 
the pipe is 18 in. (fig. 19). The stem was broken when the pipe 
was found, but, unlike the other two, the break occurred near the 
mouth end. The bowl joins the stem 'almost at a right angle; 
there is, however, a slight distal inclination. The sides and that 
portion of the bowl facing the smoker are slightly bulging; the 
rear surface is flat. The lower part of the bowl is not decorated, 
and there is no heel. Encircling the mouth of the bowl on three 
sides is a frieze, the lower edge of which is squared. On each 
face of this frieze there is an incised quadrangle containing three 
impressed dots. Below the frieze there is a rounded fillet with 
equidistant oblique incisions that give it the appearance of a heavy 
cord. Projecting from the posterior of the bowl of the pipe, at 
the surface of the rim, is a platform-like projection which forms a 
support for an animal figure, a wolf ^ or a dog, molded in the round. 
It is represented in a sitting posture, the hind feet resting against 
the sides of the support, and the front feet on its upper surface. 
The back of the figurine is rounded; the tail is curled against the 
lower part of the back; and the eyes, ears, and mouth are well 
represented. Neither the animal nor its support shows evidence 
of having been ornamented. There is no indication of a property 
or a manufacturer's mark, but from the elaborateness of the pipe 
it was probably made by a white man, although the style of decora- 
tion and the technique of the animal are so characteristically 
aboriginal that it is possible that Indian suggestion, at least, is 
responsible for this unusually ornate object from the Minisink site. 

No other pipe of this form has been seen by the writers, but a 

1 It may here be mentioned that the Munsee were known also as the " Wolf tribe 
of the Delawares," a fact that suggests the employment of the wolf totem as a 
symbolic device. 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 53 

less elaborate though allied example is described and figured by 
Beauchamp in the publication (p. 57) previously quoted. He says: 
"Fig. 127 is a curious angular lead pipe in the State Museum, with 
a bold platform projection in front of the top of the bowl. This was 
obtained by Mr J. S. Twining in Jefferson County." The ac- 
companying illustration shows an unembellished platform pro- 
jecting from the bowl, the point of juncture being below the frieze, 
which in this specimen is composed of encircling lines. The type 
is such an unusual one that it is interesting to note the main point 
of similarity. Whether there is evidence of the former existence 
of a figure at the end of the platform, the writer does not state. 

In summing up the evidence presented by these pewter pipes 
it would seem that the two simple forms may probably be the 
product of Indian handicraft, while the third example was more 
likely the work of a white man. 

Although the surfaces of all the pewter pipes are some- 
what corroded, the alloy is well preserved and is not easily 
broken, a fact that precludes the probability of breakage after 
burial. It would therefore seem that the "killing" of objects 
deposited with the dead, a custom often practised by aboriginal 
tribes, had likewise been employed in this instance, and that the 
" spirit " of the pipe was thus liberated to accompany its owner to 
the future world. 

In answer to an inquiry concerning pewter pipes, Mr Arthur C. 
Parker, State Archeologist of New York, writes as follows: 

We have at least six pewter or lead pipes similar to the one you 
mention and several were destroyed in the Capitol fire some years ago. 
All of these pipes seem to have been cast by Europeans and not a few 
are modelled after the conventional clay pipe, although the stem is 
thicker. One or two pipes that were destroyed by the fire had upon the 
projected lip piece the effigy of some animal, I do not remember whether 
bear or wolf. This platform with effigy seemed to have been cast with 
the pipe. In the case of the pipe which you refer to in your letter, there 
seems to have been some animal effigy. This specimen was destroyed in 
the fire. The illustration in Beauchamp is correct, if I remember rightly. 
All of the pewter pipes in our collection are from Iroquoian sites of the 
middle and late colonial periods, that is to say from 1650 to 1687 and 



54 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

1687 to perhaps 1755. In later sites brass pipes have been found to the 
exclusion of the pewter pipes. 

In the Fourth Annual Report of the Canadian Institute^ a pipe is 
figured and thus described : 

The production of a pewter pipe like the above leaves no doubt 
as to European influerfce. The animal is probably ineant to represent a 
bear. This pipe was found near the village of Scotland in Brant county. 
The only other pewter pipe in our collection came from the Bay of 
Quinte, where it was found some feet deep in the water. 

This pipe is practically identical with that found with Skeleton 
57. From the drawing it would seem that it has the same pro- 
portions and the same general shape. It is about one foot long, 
has the same slender type of stem, the bowl is placed at the same 
angle, a frieze encircles the edge of the bowl, and a projection rises 
from its upper distal surface. Instead of a dog or a wolf, as repre- 
sented on the platform of the Minisink specimen, the Canadian 
pipe has the figure of what seems to be a bear — in a standing 
position with the head toward the bowl-opening. 

OTHER METAL OBJECTS 

Metal objects of European origin were found with thirteen of 
the burials, namely, Nos. 7, 8, 24, 29, 31, 39, 51, 53, 57, 58, 59, 66, 
and 67. 

Spun-brass kettles were buried with Skeletons 39 and 51. The one 
found with the former skeleton was resting on the skull; it is 8 in. 
in diameter at the rim, and 3I in. deep. This kettle is perfect, 
with the exception of the iron bale, which had fallen apart through 
corrosion. The kettle found with Skeleton 51 was near the left 
side; it is 4 in. in diameter at the rim and 2\ in. deep. The bottom 
is broken and some pieces are missing, but the bale and attach- 
ments are intact. Its rim contains a core of iron. These speci- 
mens are shown in plate xiv, A. 

Four brass bracelets, besides fragments of others, found with 
Skeleton 53, are probably of European manufacture. The decora- 

1 Toronto, 1891, p. 67, fig. 161. 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1 , PL. XXI 




ALGONOUIAN JAR 



HEY E-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 5 5 

tion is in the form of bands of oblique lines, as shown in plate xv 
and figure 20. The small bracelet shown in the same plate was 
found in a grave by Mr. Bell. 

Small glass mirrors in metal frames were found with Skeletons 
24 and 39. Typical examples of these are shown in plate xvi. 

Two small brass bells, half an inch in diameter, were with Skele- 
ton 29, and with the same burial was a spoon of German silver 
or white metal (pi. xvii). With Skeleton 58 were pieces of fused 
metal; with Skeleton 59 a chain of copper (pi. xvii), and with Skele- 
ton 66, pieces of folded sheet-metal. Accompanying Skeleton 8 was 
a rather elaborate wire ornament, probably of brass, only portions 
of which remained; it is shown, together with other objects, in plate 
V, and the individual wire coils are illustrated in plate xvii. Pieces 




Fig. 20. — Bracelet found with Skeleton 53. 

of metal found in connection with small flints were with Skeletons 
24 and 67, but were corroded to such an extent that their original 
form could not be determined; they evidently were used, however, 
for striking fire. Small copper beads, no larger than the usual 
wampum beads, were buried with Skeletons 7 and 53. It is possible 
that they are of native make, but it is more likely that, together 
with the glass beads used with them, they were obtained by the 
Indians from early settlers. 

The finding of the bowl of a brass spoon, not associated with 
a burial, is referred to in another place (page 75) . 

CLAY PIPES 

It would be natural for one to assume that the finding of Euro- 
pean pipes bearing the makers' marks would facilitate the explorer 
in his endeavor to determine the age of the burials with which they 
were found, but after affording proof that the burials are post- 
Columbian, their value in determining chronology practically 
ceases, for there is little definite knowledge concerning pipe-makers 
or the time of the introduction of the product of their manufacture. 



56 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

Beauchamp/ in prefacing his remarks concerning clay trade- 
pipes, says: 

Precisely when European pipes began to be used bj' the New York 
Indians, we may not be able to decide. Large white stems, carved as 
ornaments, appear on the Onondaga site of 1654, but this was occupied 
for some years longer. No Dutch pipes have been found, known as 
such, and it is not likfely that English pipes would have been introduced 
inland, till the English took and retained possession of the province of 
New York. On some sites of the last quarter of the 17th century, such 
pipes have been found. As public gifts to the Indians they first appear 
in a council held in 1692, but some may have been given before. The 
older ones have the bowl rather small and barrel-shaped, and the makers' 
initials may appear on the projecting heel below the bowl. 

Six European clay pipes (pi. xiv, b) were found with the burials, 
of which two were with Skeleton 6. One of these (e), in perfect 
condition, has a long, tapering stem and the usual inclining bowl. 
On the inner edge of the rim, above the stem, there is an impressed 
line. Impressed in the proximal face of the bowl are the letters 
R T. The second pipe (a) is practically a duplicate of the first; 
it is provided with a band below the rim and with the same letters 
on the face of the bowl, but part of the stem is missing. Both 
pipes afford indication of having been smoked. 

The third pipe (b) was found with Skeleton 31. The bowl is 
almost perfect, but the stem is broken. The heel at the base of 
the bowl is stamped with a circle containing the letters E B, and an 
impressed line encircles the bowl just below the rim. This pipe 
shows no sign of having been used. 

Another clay pipe (d) was found near the left shoulder of 
Skeleton 24. The stem had been broken while in use, and there 
are indentations made by the teeth of the user. It has no heel, 
and there is no maker's mark. There is an impressed line on the 
proximal edge of the rim, and the inner part of the bowl is black- 
ened from continued use. 

Two pipes {c, f) were found near the right shoulder of Skele- 
ton 39; both have broken stems, but the bowls are perfect. Each 

1 "Earthenware of the New York Aborigines," Bulletin of the New York State 
Museum, Albany, 1898, p. 115. 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1 , PL. XXII 





FRAGMENTS OF JARS OF IROQUOIS TYPE 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY S7 

has an impressed encircling line below the rim, and a heel at the 
base of the bowl. On the heel of one (c) are the letters p- and on 
the heel of the other (/) the letters E B. Both have been used. 

In considering the makers' marks, we find two pipes marked R T. 
McGuire,^ in speaking of this maker's stamp, says: "Dr E. A. 
Barber refers to a trade pipe with the initials R. T. on its heel, which 
was found in an Indian grave in Chester County, Pennsylvania, 
probably the manufacture of one Richard Taylor, of Bath, England; 
and another was found in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania." The 
pipes under consideration have the R T on the bowl and were probably 
Tippet pipes. Edwin A. Barber,- in a catalogue of pipes, describes 
three examples marked on the bowl in a similar way. The first 
of these he describes as: "Old British (?) Pipe; mark R T, impressed 
in back of bowl, and R. Tipp-et raised in circle on right side. From 
Indian Grave, Chester Co., Pa." and "Old British (?) Pipe; same 
form as No. 2 (the one just described) mark R T in back of bowl. 
From Montgomery Co., N. Y." In this instance R Tipp-et on the 
side was evidently omitted, for in Barber's description of the third 
pipe he mentions both marks. 

No unbroken clay trade-pipes were found except in connection 
with the burials. Five fragments of stems, however, which had 
no association with skeletons, were unearthed; these may possibly 
have served as beads. 

TEXTILES 

Although the bone and shell objects were in a fair state of 
preservation, no objects of wood were found, and only three ex- 
amples of textile fabrics, which were found with Skeletons 39 and 53. 
With the former were several objects of European manufacture, 
including a brass kettle, clay pipes, mirrors, and brass bracelets. 
The bale of the kettle was of iron, which had been broken into a 
number of pieces through corrosion; the core of the rim is also of 
iron. To one of the bale fragments a piece of cloth was attached, 

^ Pipes and Smoking Customs of the American Aborigines, Washington, 1899, 
p. 449. 

2 Catalogue of the Collection of Tobacco Pipes Deposited by Edwin A. Barber, 
The Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, Philadelphia, 1882. 



5o MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

the oxidization of the iron having preserved it. This, fabric is 
closely woven and has the appearance of colonial homespun, which 
it probably is. 

Skeleton 53 was that of an adult, with which four brass bracelets 
and fragments of others were found. Attached to two of the 
fragments were small pieces of cloth of two different weaves. 
Owing to the fineness of the warp and woof strands there is little 
doubt that these fabrics were derived from Europeans. 

Urn Burials 

The somewhat unusual practice of covering the head of a human 
body with a vessel, a custom commonly known as "urn burial," 
was manifest in two graves in the Minisink cemetery. 

Skeleton 39 lay on its back with the head resting on the occiput. 
The kettle, as shown in plate xiv. A, was found bottom upward, 
with the rim resting on the frontal bone of the skull (pi. vii, b). 
From its position it would seem that, with the decaying of the wrap- 
pings about the head, the kettle had gradually slipped to one side. 

Skeleton 60 was lying in the same position as the one just 
described, and on its head rested a fragment of an earthenware 
bowl, 3 in. in depth. Strange to say, this was the only sherd of a 
bowl found with a burial. 

In connection with the subject of "urn-burials" the reader is 
referred to the section treating of Pits Containing Jars (pages 67-70). 

Feast-pits 

In the descriptions of the burials mention is made of feast-pits 
and the remains of feasts as represented by animal bones (many of 
which had been broken, evidently for the purpose of extracting the 
marrow), bird bones, shells, etc. In many instances the disturbed 
area was merely an extension of the grave itself, showing that the 
refuse from the feast had been either deposited near the body or 
mingled with the earth with which the remains were covered. 

In some instances were found so-called "pits" a short distance 
from the burial. In one case, for example, the edge of such a pit 
was three feet from the nearest edge of the grave of Skeleton 6. 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 59 

This pit contained nine small, carefully worked net-sinkers, not 
grouped but scattered through the soil at an average depth of i8 in. 
The pit also contained animal bones, potsherds, and charcoal, and 
in all respects was similar to the feast-pits associated with the 
burials. Whether this pit had been used in connection with the 
ceremonies performed for the burial represented by Skeleton 6 
cannot be stated. This is not an isolated case, as there were several 
similar pits, but their relation to nearby burials could not be 
determined. 

Feast-pits and the remains of feasts deposited with burials are 
of common occurrence in connection with graves in this general 
region, suggesting the performance of a feast ceremony as part of 
the mortuary rites. 

Dog Burials 

The skeletons of two dogs were found in the cemetery. The 
first, unearthed at a point twelve feet southwest of Skeleton 6, was 
lying on its side, with the head toward the NE. A worked stone, 
a few potsherds, and a freshwater clam shell were found with it. 
About a foot west of this skeleton and in the same disturbed area 
were a number of large stones — one a lap-stone, another a grinding 
stone. This' dog skeleton was not associated with a human burial, 
and all evidence pointed to the conclusion that it had been buried 
in pursuance of some ceremonial rite. Certain portions of the 
skeleton were missing, but from its general appearance it would 
seem that no part of the dog had been consumed in a feast. 

The second dog skeleton was found between Skeletons 13 and 
17, two feet below the surface. The bones were surrounded by 
pieces of charcoal and deer-bones, the latter having been cracked 
evidently for the purpose of extracting the marrow. Judging by 
the appearance of the dog bones, which were massed, and from the 
fact that many of them were missing, the dog had probably formed 
part of the food used in a feast. No implements were found with 
the burial. In the East, dog burials in connection with human 
interments are not uncommon, and they are not unknown in the 
West. 



60 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

OBJECTS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH BURIALS 
Pottery 

The preliminary investigations in connection with the Minisink 
burial site showed that many objects of aboriginal manufacture 
had been turned up by the plow, and, as before stated, fragments 
of human skeletons » were found on the surface. It therefore is 
probable that some of the objects found in the general excavation 
of the mound had been deposited originally with the dead. A case 
in point is that of the finding, on the surface, of fragments of 
tubular shell beads associated with portions of a human skull — 
the beads had been broken into pieces and the bones had been 
bleached by the sun, but their finding showed that bodies with their 
accompanying ornaments and implements had been brought to 
the surface, and as the spot for years has been a favorite hunting 
ground for collectors, many specimens had been carried away. 

Many of the artifacts found not in direct association with 
burials were in groups, some of which, however, were more or less 
near burials, others some distance from them. Those deposits 
found in connection with feast-pits are treated in detail under a 
separate heading (pages 67-70). 

At the present time a satisfactory comparative study of the 
ceramic arts of the area under consideration is not possible, owing 
largely to dearth of material. That two well-defined types of 
pottery are represented at the Minisink site, however, cannot be 
questioned. A few specimens present characters common to both 
types and may be the result of association of two distinct aboriginal 
groups of people, but we are not able to determine whether the 
Iroquois type of pottery represents a post-conquest period, when the 
arts of the victors were forced upon the conquered, or whether they 
were Algonquian merely by ownership through the medium of trade. 

In considering the pottery of the Eastern Indians, Professor 
Holmes^ says: 

To exactly what extent the Algonquian tribes are responsible for the 
northern types of pottery, aside from those definitely assignable to the 

1 Aboriginal Pottery of the Eastern United States, Twentieth Ann. Rep. Bur. 
Amer. Ethnol., p. 146. 



HEY E-PEP PER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 6 I 

Iroquois, may never be fully determined, but that these types are largely 
Algonquian may be assumed from the historic occui)ation of many 
sections by pottery-making communities of that family. 

General historic and specific documentary evidence proves that 
the Delawares occupied the section of New Jersey under con- 
sideration for a long period, perhaps centuries. From the earliest 
times it was known as a Delaware stronghold, and it was held by 
them until the early part of the eighteenth century. The identity 
of the Algonquian forms is thereby assured, but with reference to 
the Iroquois ware only a personal opinion can be advanced. The 
main points of difference lie in the form and the ornamentation;: 
the general technique presents peculiarities that are opposed to the 
technique of the Delawares. Cushing's comparison' is concise and 
pertinent: 

The pottery of the northeastern Algonquian tribes at least is, if I 
may judge from examples I have seen in New England (and even from 
Virginia), relatively deeper, more conical, relatively narrower at the 
shoulders than at the rim, more decorated with cord-, net- or textile-^ 
impressed or stamped markings than with straight-lined incisions, and,, 
above all, is more generally characterized by a shell tempericig than is- 
the inland pottery of the Iroquoian tribes. 

The greater number of vessels found in the mound were in 
fragmentary condition. Only one perfect jar was unearthed,, 
and this, with a similar one from the shore of Minisink island, near- 
the mound, are the only complete examples of ceramic art obtained! 
from this region. Owing to the fact that many of the vessels were 
practically complete, the missing portions have been restored, but 
wherever restoration has been made, the plaster has been given a 
neutral tint, no attempt being made to reproduce the original 
color of the vessel. This has enabled us to present a series of 
plates which afford a comprehensive idea of the various forms^ 
embellishments, and decorative designs of the earthenware of the 
Minisink area. 

Forty-one fragmentary vessels, representing three types of 

1 F. H. Gushing, The Germ of Shoreland Pottery, Memoirs of the International 
Congress of Anthropology, Ghicago, 1894, p. 232. 



62 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

pottery, have been restored. These types show the vessels of 
probable Algonquian origin, of Iroquois origin, and a few that 
seem to combine technique common to both types. In the ac- 
companying plates six of the first type, seven of the second, and 
one of the third are shown. The remaining twenty-seven vessels, 
which are not illustrated herein, represent twelve of the Algonquian 
type, twelve of the Iroquois, and three showing a combination 
of the two. 

The following descriptions of vessels selected for illustration 
present the principal features that characterize each group. 

EARTHENWARE OF ALGONQUIAN TYPE 

In plate xviii, a, is shown a fragment of the rim of a jar of fine 
texture, the surface of which evinces the care and skill employed in 
the levigation, mixing, and manipulation of the paste, in the selec- 
tion and proper addition of the tempering medium, and in the pre- 
liminary drying of the vessel and the subsequent firing. The surface 
was carefully smoothed and semi-polished after the addition of the 
final slip in preparation for the application of the design. The 
decorative element consists of a series of small, uniform indents 
or punctures, applied with a dentate wheel, each tooth of which had 
been delicately pointed. So skilfully was the ornamentation applied 
that its effect is highly esthetic. The rim is narrow and outcurving, 
and the lip and inner surface are covered by a continuation of the 
body design. This specimen is the best example of Algonquian 
fictile work that the mound produced. 

A portion of the rim and side of a large jar is shown in plate xix. 
The body is paddle-marked, resulting in a uniform mottled surface. 
The neck has been smoothed, but between it and the body there is 
no shoulder. At the point where the recurving of the neck portion 
begins there is an encirchng band formed by two impressed lines. 
The neck is broad and is spanned by six angular impressed lines, 
arranged in pairs, extending from the encircling band to the lip of 
the rim. 

The next specimen to be considered is half of a symmetrical jar 
with gently tapering sides. It is a typical example of the small, 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A M UN SEE CEMETERY 63 

undecorated cooking vessels (pi. xx, a). The body is covered with 
textile or cord-wrapped paddle-marks, the neck has a series of 
wheel-marks applied horizontally, and the lip is ornamented with 
an impressed line evidently applied with a similar tool. Height 
6 in.; diameter 4I in. 

Another typical jar of Algonquian manufacture is shown in 
plate XXI. It has tapering sides and is rounded below. A portion 
of one side and part of the rim are missing. The body surface 
is covered with deeply malleated paddle-marks, which also originally 
covered the neck, but the latter area has been smoothed, thereby 
practically obliterating the ornamentation. The rim is narrow and 
has a deeply cut, cross-hatched design evidently made with a sharp 
scarifying tool. The lip of the jar is plain. Height 8| in.; diam- 
eter 7j in. 

A large fragmentary jar, the rim of which is practically com- 
plete, is shown in plate xx, b. It is of the heavy, thick-walled type, 
and the body is covered with a deeply impressed ornamentation 
made with a cord-wrapped paddle. The neck is covered with a 
design made probably with a cord-wrapped rouletting implement; 
the base is margined with an encircling band of wheel impressions, 
and there is a similar band at the upper edge. The lip of this 
vessel is sloping and is decorated with rouletting which extends 
to a depth of an inch on the inner portion of the rim. Diameter 
of rim, 9! in. 

Another fragment of a large vessel is represented by the upper 
portion of a jar, including part of the rim (pi. xviii, b). The body 
is covered with a cross-hatching of cording or other textile applied 
by paddling; the lines thus made are finer than any displayed by 
the other jars. At the depression of the shoulder and separating 
the body design from that of the neck is an encircling band of round 
punctate marks. The neck ornamentation consists of horizontal 
cord-markings margined on its upper part by a series of oblique 
cord-lines which cover the space between the main design and 
the outer edge of the lip. The sloping lip is ornamented with a 
single encircling cord-line, and the inner part of the rim is cord- 
rouletted. Diameter of rim, gf in. 



64 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

EARTHENWARE OF IROQUOIS TYPE 

The Iroquois type of earthenware is characterized by a smooth 
body surface, devoid of paddle-marks; it is usually undecorated, 
and as a rule has one or more rim-projections. The clay is tempered 
with sand or other material, finely ground, which accounts for the 
fine texture as compared with the majority of Algonquian vessels 
with their coarse shell-tempering. Many of the Iroquois vessels 
are finished by means of a polishing stone or other object that 
imparted the required smoothness. 

The following descriptions, with- the accompanying plates, 
give an idea of the character of the vessels of this type found in 
the mound. 

Plate XXII, b, shows a fragment of a typical rim of an Iroquois 
vessel on the lip of which is a single upward projection. The jar 
is of the type that has the angles of the frieze emphasized by orna- 
ments in the form of conventional human faces; this frieze is very 
broad, and the angle underlying the projection referred to shows 
one eye and the mouth of such a face. The spaces between the 
angles are filled with a pattern composed of angular lines and dots, 
and at the point where the rim joins the neck there is an encircling 
series of short, deep incisions. The walls of this jar aie relatively 
thin and the ware is light in color. 

Another example of human-face ornamentation is illustrated by 
a fragment of the rim and side of a typical Iroquois jar with plain 
body as shown in plate xxiii, b. It has an abrupt shoulder, and the 
neck is concave. One lip-projection is shown, and the space below 
it, a portion of the frieze, is emphasized by a conventionalized 
human face, on each side of which is a design formed of oblique and 
horizontal lines, the latter bordered with punctate markings. On 
the projection of the lip, already referred to, directly above the 
face on the frieze, is a second face, similar in form and flanked with 
incised lines. 

A typical Iroquois jar (pi. xxiv, a) was presented by Mr. Randall 
D. Sayre, of Milford", Pa., by whom it was found on the southern 
shore of Minisink island directly opposite the Minisink cemetery. 
The vessel was practically perfect when found, but while in the 



r 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1 , PL. XXVI 




FRAGMENTARY JAR SHOWING A COMBINATION OF ALGONQUIAN AND IROQUOIS TYPES 



1 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 6$ 

possession of its original owner it was accidently broken. The jar 
is of the typical globular form; the body is symmetrical and the 
surface smoothly finished. A line of short, slanting incisions 
encircles the base of the neck. The lip-projections were large and 
rounded, and there was a pronounced rim depression between them. 
One side of the rim is missing, but there can be no doubt that it 
belonged to the "two-point" type. The main portion of the frieze 
is decorated with oblique incisions, and above this encircling band 
there is a series of irregular, horizontal lines. Height 7 in. ; diameter 
6| in. 

Plate XXV, a, illustrates the only perfect jar found in the mound; 
it is a symmetrical vessel of the "four-point" type, and has an 
elaborately decorated frieze, an incurved neck, and a body that 
tapers gracefully from the shoulder to the semi-conic base. The 
surface of the body is smooth, and in its entirety the jar is a good 
example of Iroquois ornate earthenware. The top of the vessel is 
squarish, but instead of the angle projections usual in receptacles 
of this class, there are two almost level sides, with the opposing 
ones higher and gracefully rounded. The lip is fiat and without 
decoration save on the outer edge which is embellished with a line 
of small, punctate dots, below which are three encircling, incised 
lines. The encircling band of design covering the major part of 
the frieze is composed of an intricate series of incised pyramids 
formed of lines and dots, the intervening spaces being filled with 
similar lines. Diameter of body, 5f in. ; diameter of rim, 4I in. ; 
height, 7 in. 

Among the fragmentary Iroquois vessels there were only a few 
that formed parts of large jars. One of these is shown in plate 
XXIV, h. It is of dark color; the body, shoulder, and neck are 
plain; the lip is missing. The frieze design is formed by heavily 
incised lines forming pyramids, the intervening spaces being filled 
with horizontal lines. The lower margin of the frieze has a row of 
indentations. Height 10 in.; diameter 9 in. 

The complete rim and about half the body of a large jar (pi. 
XXIII, a) was found in Pit 2, in the eastern part of the mound. 
The body is plain; the neck is broad and incurved. The rim- 



66 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

collar, or frieze, is broad and angular, causing the mouth of the 
jar to be practically square. The four angles of the frieze are 
emphasized by low, rounded lip-projections, encircled on the 
lower part by a pseudo-textile ornamental design consisting of 
combinations of straight incised lines and dots arranged in zones. 
At each angle there is a pyramidal figure, and between the angles 
are broad, vertical^ incised bands, above which is a series of four 
incised encircling lines. The frieze is bordered by marginal rows 
of indentations, those on the upper portion having been applied 
with the edge of an angular punch, the lower being larger and 
deeper, having a slight node in the upper part. The form of this 
vessel was evidently suggested by the bark receptacles of the 
region, the curves and angles of the upper part practically dupli- 
cating certain birch-bark vessels. Height ii in.; diameter 9^ in. 

Plate XXII, a, illustrates the rim and upper portion of a large 
jar. As in most vessels of this type, the body portion evidently was 
plain. The neck also was without decoration, and the upper part 
is broadly outcurved, giving the frieze a decided overhang. The 
shoulder is ornamented with a broad band consisting of four 
incised encircling lines bordered on the upper part by short, 
oblique incisions and on the lower margin by lightly incised, oblique, 
ray-like lines. The top of the frieze is tri pointed. Two of the 
line projections are comparatively low and pointed, and are equal in 
size; the third is higher, much larger, and rounded, and is accentu- 
ated by a series of eleven transverse, impressed notches. The lip 
is square and is unembellished save by a row of slight notches on 
the outer edge, and, as noted, on the large projection. The frieze 
is circular, there being no suggestion of angles below the projections; 
its major part is covered with a closely-applied series of oblique 
incisions, and the upper portion is bordered by an encircling band- 
composed of four wavy lines. Diameter of rim, 8| in. 

A fragment of a small jar is shown in plate xxv, h. The body 
surface shows the typical smooth finish of Iroquois ware, and is 
without decoration save on the shoulder, where there is a band of 
slanting, wheel-made lines. The frieze is decorated with a band of 
four horizontal fillets having the appearance of heavy coiling; and 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1 , PL. XXVII 





F0RTI3NS OF RIMS OF VESSELS S.HOWING TYPES OF FRIEZE DECORATION 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 6/ 

above and below, the frieze is margined by a line of slanting, wheel- 
made lines. The edge of the lip is plain. 

EARTHENWARE SHOWING ALGONQUIAN AND IROQUOIS TECHNIQUE 

COMBINED 

As before stated, among the fragmentary vessels found in the 
mound were four that combined the technique of both the Dela- 
wares and the Iroquois. 

Plate XXVI shows half of a small globular jar of Iroquois shape, 
the surface of which is paddle-marked. The frieze is covered with 
incised lines, and the general effect is crude in comparison with typi- 
cal jars of either the Algonquian or the Iroquois. There is a lip- 
projection, and the frieze below it is covered with crudely scratched 
lines. Encircling the central portion of the neck is an incised band 
— an unusual neck decoration. Height 5^ in. ; diameter 4! in. 

A fragment of the rim portion of one of these jars has a lip-projec- 
tion that characterizes Iroquois vessels, but the mixture of the clay 
and the general, treatment of the surface are purely Algonquian. 
Two other rim fragments show similar characteristics, but whether 
made by the Delawares or not, they are Algonquian in texture, 
form, and general treatment. 

r 

PITS CONTAINING JARS 

The pits containing fragmentary jars, and in one instance a 
perfect one, are represented by dots on the plan of the mound 
(pi. 11). These pits in most instances were several feet from the 
nearest skeleton, Pit 11, for example, being more than a hundred 
feet distant from Skeleton 3. 

All the pits contained sherds representing either all or a portion 
of a jar, and in many of the pits were fragments of several jars. 
In most of the pits the sherds showing decoration were deposited 
with the ornamented surface down, but whether this was intentional 
could not be determined. 

The rims of most jars are decorated with a frieze. As this part 
of the vessel usually is the only ornamented portion, the rim frag- 
ments present many of the decorative elements employed by the 
Minisink potters and in the absence of complete jars are worthy 



« 



68 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

of Study. Many sherds showing rim-decorations were found. A 
number of these, exhibiting distinctive designs, are illustrated in 
plate XXVII. 

The presence of animal bones and charcoal in most of the pits 
seems to indicate that the deposit had been made in connection 
with a feast, the ren^ains of which were buried with the vessels. 

Objects of a utilitarian nature were found in some of the pits; 
these included hammerstones, lap-stones, arrowpoints, a fragment 
of a pipe, etc., but in none of them were ornaments such as were 
found with the burials. 

The following descriptions of the individual pits indicate the 
depth of the deposits, their general character, and the material 
found in them. 

Jar I, found southeast of Skeleton 2, was represented by a rim 
fragment which lay in a disturbed area 2 ft. 9 in. beneath the 
surface. 

Jar 2 was found at the bottom of a discolored area, southeast of 
Skeleton 4, the fragments being grouped with the outer or design 
surface down as though they had been placed in the positions in 
which they were found, not merely thrown into the hole. They 
were 2 ft. 9 in. below the surface and occupied a space about two 
feet in diameter. A great many pieces of charcoal were associated 
with the fragments. The entire rim was found, also part of the 
base and sides. This jar is shown in plate xxiii, a. 

Jar 3 was northwest of Skeleton 7 and was represented by a 
mass of fragments scattered over a space two and one half feet in 
diameter. It was near Skeleton 7, but evidently had no con- 
nection with it, as there were two distinct disturbed areas over the 
two deposits. The fragments were those of a very large jar and 
were so placed as to have the appearance of a mosaic, most of them 
being on the same level. 

Jar 4, northwest of and near Skeleton 13, was represented by a 
number of fragments scattered over an area two feet in diameter. 
It was 3 ft. 2 in. below the surface, and at the bottom of a discolored 
area, but no animal bones were found with it. 

Jar 5 was southeast of Skeleton 27; it consists of half of a 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1 , PL. XXVIII 




a. NET-SINKERS OF THE SMALL THIN TYPE 




h. NET-SINKERS OF THE PEBBLE TYPE 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1, PL. XXIX 




a. GRINDING STONE 



^^^HIH 


^^H 


i 


• ^,7;- '■■■:■ 


^ 








'^.■- r- s , .: 




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.'',' ^^I^^^^^l 


^^^m ''^., ' I^H 




ttr 




3 


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IP 




^H 


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piir- 




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g 



b. DOUBLE-HANDED HAMMERSTONES 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 69 

slender vessel and was found 17 in, below the surface, in a disturbed 
area. Near it were several large stones, some charcoal, and a few 
potsherds. (PI. xxvi.) 

Jar 6, found ii in. below the surface, northeast of Skeleton 28, 
is represented by a fragment of a very thick jar, mingled with 
which were sherds of other vessels. There were also three hammer- 
stones, an arrowpoint, and a fragment of a pottery pipe. As in 
the former deposits, animal bones, shells, and charcoal were found 
in association. 

Jar 7 was southwest of Skeleton 2'j and was represented by 
about half the original vessel; it was lying with the design side down 
and with the rim portion directed toward the west. Grouped 
about it were fragments of other vessels, all of the decorated 
pieces having the ornamented surface down. The deposit con- 
tained also five large, heavy, pitted hammerstones, a lap-stone, a 
number of split stones, and the usual charcoal and animal bones. 
The deposit lay 3 ft. below the surface. 

Jar 8, southwest of Skeleton 28, was in a fragmentary condition 
and the pieces were massed in an area eighteen inches in diameter. 
It was 18 in. below the surface, and was surrounded by the usual 
charcoal and animal bones. The decorated pieces were all lying 
with the design surface down. 

Jar 9, northwest of Jar 3, was fragmentary and the pieces were 
grouped, all the ornamented frieze portions lying with their deco- 
rated sides down. It lay 2 ft. 6 in. beneath the surface. 

Jar 10, southwest of Skeleton 26, was 19 in. below the surface, 
in a discolored area and broken into many pieces. Two of the 
rim fragments were lying with the design side up. In the center of 
the mass were two stones. 

Jar II was found in a test trench and lay 123 ft. south of Skele- 
ton I. It was represented by fragments found i ft. 8 in. below 
the surface. Three or four large pieces were lying with the design 
side up, but with these exceptions the sherds lay with the orna- 
mented surface down, as in most other cases. 

Jar 12 was found 4 ft. 4 in. below the surface, southeast of 
Skeleton 3, and was accompanied with a fragment of a pipe. 



70 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

Jar 13, fragmentary, was found north of Skeleton 17, 2 ft. 6 in. 
below the surface, all the decorated faces downward. 

Jar 14, also fragmentary, was south of Skeleton 61 and lay 
2 ft. 8 in. beneath the surface. All the decorated sides were down. 

Jar 15, entire, was west of Skeleton 56 and was found i ft. 
8 in. down, lying on ats side, inclined at an angle of 30°. The rim 
was upward. (PI. xxv, a.) 

Jar 16, broken, was east of Skeleton 63 and lay bottom upward 
2 ft. 2 in. below the surface. 

Jar 17, broken, was found only 2 i^. below the surface. It 
was west of the burial area and 30 ft. northwest of Skeleton 63. 

Jar 18, likewise broken, lay i ft. 8 in. down. It was northeast 
of Jar 17. 

Jar 19, north of Skeleton 60, and also broken, was found 4 ft. 
below the surface. 

Objects of Stone 

Objects of stone are represented by most of the artifacts of this 
material known to the region under discussion. 

As the Munsee of the Delaware River region must have sub- 
sisted to a considerable extent on fish, one would expect to find 
net-sinkers in their refuse heaps and on their village sites. Our 
excavations resulted in the finding of 166 of these objects, many of 
them at a depth of more than three feet. Three types of net- 
sinkers are represented. One of these types, shown in plate 
xxviii, o, is made of a thin section of sandstone, or of other stone 
having a regular line of cleavage. Many of this class are quite 
small, measuring only 2 in. in diameter; there are 99 of these. 
Net-sinkers of the second type (pi. xxviii, b) are made from 
pebbles. The edges of the specimens of the first type were chipped 
or ground to a greater or less extent, whereas in the second type 
the only evidence of workmanship is in the notches chipped or 
ground in the opposing edges of the stone. Of this class there are 
48 examples in the collection. Those of the third type also are 
made of pebbles, ovoid or irregular in shape, and each has an 
encircling groove usually pecked in the surface. As in most 



^ 




HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY /I 

eastern localities, this type was the most unusual, only 19 having 
been found. 

Hammerstones of many sizes and shapes were recovered; these 
range from the heavy, two-handed hammers, some of which measure 
9 in. in length by 3 in. in thickness, to the very small ones used for 
pecking the surface of implements in the process of their manu- 
facture. There are eight of the heavier class, two of which are 
shown in plate xxix, h. These are natural bowlders, but all show 
evidence of use, some being deeply pitted, while others have but 
slight artificial depressions. 

Small pitted hammerstones from the mound are shown in 
plate XXX. There are 49 of these, ten of them having been used 
secondarily as rubbing stones. 

Various other forms of hammerstones are lepresented, many 
of them being elongate, in which cases one of the ends of the imple- 
ment exhibits wear. 

There are few grooved axes and mauls, three of the former and 
one of the latter being the only ones unearthed. 

Ten smoothing stones were found, and there are six large, flat 
stones that evidently had been used for grinding. One of these, 
shown in plate xxix, a, measures 17 in. by 15 in., and is 3 in. thick. 
Both surfaces are smooth, but the surface presented in the illus- 
tration shows considerable wear. The second in size is in the form 
of an irregular disc, averaging 9 in. in diameter and 2^ in. in 
thickness. The edges of both of these specimens have been worked, 
but the smaller one has the entire edge chipped. Implements of 
this class are sometimes called "lap-stones," but as many of them 
are large and heavy and exhibit use for grinding purposes, they 
were probably employed for grinding grain as are the metates of 
the Southwest. 

In the collection are eighteen celts, only three of which are 
perfect, and four chisels which are shown with some of the celts in 
plate XXXI, a. Included in the collection are also sixteen pestles 
(examples of which are shown in pi, xxxi, h), hoes (pi. xxxii, a), 
scrapers (pi. xxxiii, h), pecking stones, "turtle-backs," discs, 
arrow and spear points (pi. xxxii, h), drills, reamers, two sinew 



72 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

smoothers (shown in plate xxxiv, h), a fragment of a large discoidal 
stone, catlinite beads, and a stone shaped as if for use as a pendant 
or gorget, 4! in. long, 4I in. wide, and \ in. thick (pi. xxxiii, a). 
This object was not drilled; but another, somewhat shorter and 
thicker (pi. xxxiii, h), shows the original drilling, which had 
broken out, as well as two attempts to drill new holes. 

While conducting the explorations in the Bell Mound a large 
stone spade was found on adjacent property, but owing to its size 
is worthy of mention here (pi. xxxiv, a). This object is made of 
a hardened shale approaching slate, from which flakes have been 
chipped; it measures io| in. in length and 5 in. in width, and 
the point shows wear from use. Spades of this size and type are 
not often found in the region under consideration, and it is possible 
that it may have been derived from another section, although the 
material might be from the Delaware valley. 

A catlinite pipe was found by a farmer in a field a short distance 
from the Bell farm and was acquired from him for the collection. 
This specimen (pi. xxxiii, a) is i| in. long and i\ in. high. The 
edges are ornamented with incised designs as shown in the illus- 
tration. As beads of catlinite, or pipestone, were found with 
vskeletons as well as in the general excavations at Minisink, barter 
for this material may have been conducted by the Delawares and 
Iroquois in early times. Loskiel,^ in speaking of the Delawares, 
says : 

They are fond of a handsome head for their pipe, and prefer those 
made of red marble. But these are only used by the chiefs and captains, 
this sort of marble being rare, and found only on the Mississippi. 

Dr Charles Rau,^ writing in 1872, says: 

Not long ago a small Catlinite pipe of unusual shape was sent to me, 
which had been ploughed up in a maize-field near Centreville, in South- 
ern Illinois (St Clair County). Such older specimens are even met in the 
New England States, near the Atlantic coast. The collection of the 
Smithsonian Institution contains some pipes and ornaments made of 

1 History of the Mission of the United Brethren Among the Indians in North America, 
London, 1794, p. 51. 

^ Ancient Aboriginal Trade in North America, Smithsonian Report for 1872, p. 372. 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1, PL. XXXI 




a. CELTS AND CHISELS 




h. PESTLES 



% 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1 , PL. XXXII 





b. ARROWPOINTS 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 73 

Catlinite, which were taken from Indian graves in the State of New York, 
or obtained from the Iroquois still inhabiting the same state. The raw 
or worked red pipestone, therefore, constituted an article of barter, 
which was brought from its original place of occurrence to the present 
Eastern states of the Union. 



Objects of Shell 

Independent of burials were several deposits of freshwater 
clam shells, found in connection with feast-pits, but none of the 
shells showed signs of use. Snail-shells also were found in some 
of these pits, but whether they had been buried intentionally or 
had simply been in the surface soil with which the pits were filled 
could not be determined. Among the worked-shell objects, not 
associated with burials, was the columella of a small whelk, a few 
fragments of sea-shells, a tubular bead, and a number of fragments 
of other beads. 

Objects of Bone and Antler 

Comparatively few bone implements were found in the mound, 
but many bird and mammal bones were present in the feast-pits 
associated with burials. The bird-bones were mostly those of the 
turkey; the mammals represented were the deer, elk, dog or wolf, 




Fig. 21. — Bone knife handle. 

fox, beaver, and a number of smaller animals. Bones of the 
larger mammals, split for obtaining the marrow, were found in all 
the feast-pits. A few of the bones showed the marks of animal 
teeth. 

Among the bone objects found apart from the graves is a knife- 
handle (fig. 2i), in fragmentary condition, but sufficiently preserved 
to show that it had been 3 in. in length and i in. in width. A hole 



74 MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

had been drilled through it for the insertion of a peg to hold the 
blade in place. 

Ten bone awls were recovered. Seven of these are made from 
split fragments of deer-bone, the ends of which have been pointed. 
Plate X, B (a-e) are of this type; / was found with Skeleton 44; 
g is an unfinished awl of the slender type. 

One bead, made from a bird-bone, the ends of which are squared, 
was found; likewise the toe-bone (phalanx) of a deer, one end of 
which has been cut off, the other perforated, probably for use as a 
gaming die; and a few bones that show evidence of cutting. 

We may include here a fragmentary drinking-cup made from 
the carapace of a box-turtle. 

Many pieces of deer-antler were found, but only a few that 
exhibit signs of artificial treatment. Some of the larger pieces have 
been gnawed by animals (pi. x, a, a), and others show the marks 
of cutting implements (pi. x, a, c). Fourteen prongs of antler, 
some of which were probably used as bodkins, are among the 
objects recovered. There are also two antler arrowpoints (pi. 
X, A, b, d), one short and massive, measuring 2 in. in length, the 
other shorter, more delicate in form, but not so well preserved. 
These arrowpoints of antler were the only ones found during the 
course of the investigations. 

Pipes 

Only one complete native pipe was found apart from burials: 
this was in the western part of the mound and was lying at a depth 
of 8 in. below the surface, immediately above a deposit of shells 
measuring 2 ft. 6 in. in diameter, 2 ft. thick, and 2 ft. beneath the 
surface. Under this deposit, 3 ft. below the surface, was a layer 
of burned stones 6 in. thick. 

Similar shell deposits were found in other parts of the cemetery. 
Not far from Skeleton 25 was a mass of ashes and calcined shells 
measuring 2 ft. by 3 ft., and nearly 3 in. in thickness. It was 
surrounded by fragments of pottery, charcoal, and animal bones. 
.This deposit lay 14 in. below the surface and had evidently been 
the result of a mortuary feast-fire. 



CONTR. MUS. AMER. INDIAN 



VOL. II, NO. 1 , PL. XXXIII 




a. PENDANT-SHAPED ITONE FROM THE MOUND, AND CATLINITE PIPE FROM A FIELD NEAR THE 

BELL FARM 




b. A PENDANT AND FOUR SCRAPERS 



HEYE-PBPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 75 



The pipe above referred to (pi. xii, c) is of pottery, is 6 in. long, 
and was in two pieces. It is of light-colored ware; the stem is 
flattish on the upper and lower surfaces, broad near the bowl, and 
tapers to a rounded point at the mouth-piece. The flaring bowl 
has a projecting rim, the lip of which is decorated with a series of 
parallel, incised lines. 

A fragment of another earthenware pipe, not connected with 
a burial, was found (fig. 22). The stem had been broken and 





a b 

Fig. 22. — Fragment of a pottery pipe (a), and the design thereon {b). 

its end smoothly ground. The bowl also is broken, but the re- 
maining portion shows that it had been decorated with a series of 
incised lines and angular indentations. 

The two pipes described, together with seven pottery stems 
and a fragment of a pipe-bowl, are the only examples of aboriginal 
pipes found apart from burials. 

Although a number of European trade-pipes were found with 
skeletons, there was none elsewhere in the mound. Five fragments 
of stems of clay trade-pipes were found, however, some of which 
may have been used as beads. 

Objects of Metal 
Only one metal object was found aside from those associated with 
burials. This is the bowl of a brass spoon, drilled at the handle end 
probably for suspension as an ornament (pi. xvii) A piece has 
been cut from the edge. 



76 . MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

Other Materials Found 

Charcoal was present in all parts of the mound where disturbed 
earth was encountered. Through the upper soil it appeared in 
small pieces, but at the bottom of the feast-pits large pieces oc- 
curred. Walnuts were found in various parts of the mound, but 
as a walnut tree is growing on the mound its fruit may have been 
carried to the lower levels by burrowing animals. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The cemetery which formed the subject of the investigations 
described in this paper was associated with a village of the Munsee 
tribe of the Delaware Indians, as shown by documentary evidence, 
supported by our archeological studies. The date of the abandon- 
ment of the Minisink village has not been determined, but from the 
information available its inhabitants departed from the locality 
in the early part of the eighteenth century, after years of contact 
with white people. This is indicated by the presence of various 
articles of European provenance in association with the burials, 
such as objects of metal, trade-pipes, glass beads, etc., and by the 
fact, as determined by Dr Hrdlicka, that one of the skeletons found 
in the Minisink cemetery is that of a white man. If it is finally 
shown, as some authorities now believe, that burials of the dead 
were not made in a fully extended position until after missionaries 
had impressed their teachings on the aborigines of this region, 
we have additional evidence, if such were needed, of the effect of 
the contact of civilization on the natives of Minisink, as twenty- 
eight of the forty-five burials whose position of burial was deter- 
minable, were interred in this manner. In a report of investi- 
gations of the Van Etten site, farther up the Delaware river, near 
Port Jervis, New York, some of the graves contained wooden 
coffins, and in each such case the associated burial was in an ex- 
tended position. 

The exploration of the Minisink cemetery has furnished con- 
siderable objective material for comparative study, but more is 
required. It is regretted that a greater number of perfect vessels 
of pottery was not recovered, as the ceramic art of this Algonquian 



HEYE-PEPPER— EXPLORATION OF A MUNSEE CEMETERY 7/ 

area is not adequately represented in our museums. Nevertheless, 
both the entire vessels and the fragmentary jars from Minisink 
have supplied information of importance with respect to form 
and ornamentation, and show the influence of Iroquois people 
on the Algonquian inhabitants of the site in question, under whose 
domination the latter are known to have been during the early 
historical period. Other artifacts are likewise of interest and 
importance: the objects of shell exhibit a considerable range of 
form and ornamentation, and with the pottery attest to the esthetic 
sense of the Minisink people. This is the more noteworthy because 
of the fact that only thirty of the sixty-eight skeletons were 
accompanied with objects of any kind, and several of these had 
merely a piece of stone, a rock crystal, a bear's tooth, or a frag- 
ment of pottery. In some Eastern burial sites stone implements 
were deposited with the dead, but none was found with the burials 
at Minisink, whose inhabitants seem to have conferred on their 
departed few objects of a utilitarian character. Possibly this 
discrimination may be another indication of missionary influence. 
Regarding the mortuary customs of the Delawares, Loskiel,i the 
Moravian missionary, wrote in 1788: 

"They used formerly to put tobacco pouch, knife, tinder box, tobacco 
and pipe, bow and arrows, gun, powder and shot, skins and cloth for 
clothes, paint, a small bag of Indian corn or dried bilberries, sometimes 
the kettle, hatchet, and other furniture of the deceased, into the grave, 
supposing that the departed spirits would have the same wants and 
occupations in the land of souls. But this custom is almost entirely 
abolished in the country of the Delawares and Iroquois." 

Of particular value to the study of the archeology of the Dela- 
ware valley will be the report on the skeletal remains now in prepa- 
ration by Dr Ales Hrdlicka of the United States National Museum, 
to which institution the human bones were presented by the 
Museum of the American Indian. In his study of the crania from 
the Minisink cemetery Dr Hrdlicka has noted an unexpected form, 
resembling the Shawnee crania far more closely than those of other 
Algonquian tribes, including even the Delawares. These inter- 

1 History of the Mission of the United Brethren, p. 120, London, 1794. 



1 



78. MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 

esting observations will be set forth fully in Dr Hrdlicka's report, 
which will include comparative data on the crania of the tribes 
which formerly occupied the Atlantic seaboard. 

The valley of the Delaware still offers many possibilities in the 
way of archeological research. A careful survey will no doubt 
bring to light numerdus village sites of a more ancient period, and 
their cemeteries will doubtless yield many artifacts of value to the 
study of our aboriginal tribes. It is hoped that the results recorded 
in this paper may prove useful to future students of this interesting 
field. 



CONTRIBUTIONS 

FROM 

THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN 
HEYE FOUNDATION 



CONTENTS OF VOLUME I 

1. Lucayan Artifacts from the Bahamas. Theodoor de Booy. 

2. Precolumbian Decoration of the Teeth in Ecuador, with some Ac- 

count of the Occurrence of the Custom in Other Parts of North 
and South America. Marshall H. Saville. 

3. Certain Kitchen-middens in Jamaica. Theodoor de Booy. 

4. Porto Rican Elbow-Stones in the Heye Museum, with Discussion 

of Similar Objects Elsewhere. J. Walter Fewkes. 

5 . Note on the A rcheology of Chirigui. George Grant M acCurdy. 

6. Petroglyphs of Saint Vincent, British West Indies. Thomas 

HUCKERBY. 

7. Prehistoric Objects from a Shell-heap at Erin Bay, Trinidad. 

J. Walter Fewkes. 

8. Relations of Aboriginal Culture and Environment in the Lesser 

Antilles. J. Walter Fewkes. 

9. Pottery from Certain Caves in Eastern Santo Domingo, Wesl 

Indies. Theodoor de Booy. 



#i 



V5 



/ . 



'Ol*V^ 



